IN SEARCH OF THE $1 MILLION RECIPE CONTEST FEVER ON THE RISE.Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor Cooking contest mania sizzles year-round, but big bucks will be at stake Monday in Hollywood when the 100 finalists in the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off The Pillsbury Bake-Off is a cooking contest, run by Pillsbury Company from 1949 to 1976, annually, and biennially since.[1] History The Grand Prize in the first contest—then called the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest battle it out at their stoves for the $1 million grand prize. Among the five men and 95 women ranging in age from 22 to 75, seven contestants will be from California, including Calabasas real-estate agent Real-Estate Agent A person with a state/provincial license to represent a buyer or a seller in a real-estate transaction in exchange for commission. Most agents work for a real-estate broker or realtor. Gail Singer. She'll be baking up Grands! Breakfast Brulees. The recipe, one of three she entered, was a happy mistake. She was attempting to create miniature Boston cream pies, but when they came out of the oven, they looked just like creme brulees - and tasted delicious. A second-time finalist (she was one in the 38th contest in 1998), Singer feels more confident now. ``I know what the drill is - the basic idea of it. This time I know what I'm competing against.'' (The 100 finalists' recipes can be viewed online at www.pillsbury.com.) Thousands of cooks entered this year's Bake-Off, up 80 percent over the last contest in 2002. ``Cook-offs have not only endured but are actually thriving,'' says Amy Sutherland, author of ``Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America.'' She traveled the contest circuit to a dozen major competitions throughout the country to get an inside look. What amazed Sutherland most was how the competitions attract Americans from all walks of life. ``Cooking is a great leveler Leveler Member of a republican faction in England during the English Civil Wars and Commonwealth. The name was coined by the movement's enemies to suggest that its supporters wished to “level men's estates. of class, age and education. What I found engaging about these people is that they've taken a thankless, everyday task - cooking - and made it a creative outlet, opening a whole new world to them. So cooking becomes a means to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. , win money and get a lot of attention.'' It's overwhelmingly an American pursuit, with more than 1,300 recipe contests conducted annually and ever-increasing numbers of entries - due largely to online access. ``These contests say much about Americans in general - our intense love of speed, ingenuity, competition and fun,'' Sutherland writes. ``National amateur cooking contests were born in an era long before Title IX and jogging bras, before a Mrs. could be a Ms. - and before Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26 1930) is an American jurist who served as the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was considered a strict constructionist. had become the first female Supreme Court justice, albeit with a '50s housewife hairdo.'' Food companies used early recipe contests (the first Bake-Off was held in 1949) as a marketing technique to get consumers to buy their products and learn how to use them. But it wasn't until the '80s and '90s that company-sponsored cook-offs began to pick up. In the '90s, they really started to grow, and today there are some 15 to 30 national contests offering winnings of $5,000 to $100,000 and $1 million. An outgrowth of the numerous contests is a fascinating subculture whose adherents are referred to as contesters. ``This group of about 2,000 cooks, mostly women, makes a serious hobby, if not a near career out of cooking contests,'' writes Sutherland. They are devoted to researching trends and winning recipes, tinkering with their creations and getting it down to a science. Many armchair test recipes - write them up and send them off without ever trying them - sometimes as many as 80 to 100 per contest. Their names keep reappearing on all kinds of winners' lists in contests large and small, national and local. One contester, Roxanne Chan of Albany, Calif., has won 500 contests, points out Sutherland. At this year's Bake-Off, there are around 20 contest veterans or repeaters, those who have been previous Bake-Off finalists (you can be a finalist three times only) but to date haven't won the grand prize. Grand- prize winners are disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. from ever entering again. ``The thing that bums me out about the Pillsbury Bake-Off,'' says Sutherland, ``is that it's not really a Bake-Off anymore - you won't see too much baking there anymore.'' And flour hasn't been an eligible ingredient since 1996. ``I'm sorry to see that baked goods are not championed in the one contest that calls itself a Bake-Off.'' Defending the Bake-Off's position, spokeswoman Marlene Johnson Marlene Johnson (b. January 11, 1946) was the 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and the first woman to hold that office. She was elected with Governor Rudy Perpich, and held the position from 1983 – 1991. says, ``As we talk to consumers about the Pillsbury Bake-Off, it is about all kinds of food - great creative cooking ideas, not just desserts A retributive theory of criminal punishment that proposes reduced judicial discretion in sentencing and specific sentences for criminal acts without regard to the individual defendant. and baked goods.'' If you look back, some very early contest winners were casseroles (including grand-prize winners California Casserole in 1956 and Hungry Boys' Casserole in 1963), adds Johnson. Cook-offs are stressful for women trying to be nice while vying for serious money, says Sutherland. ``Competition is still complicated for women. Men are just more comfortable competing - they don't take it personally.'' Natalie Haughton, (818) 713-3692 natalie.haughton(at)dailynews.com GRANDS! BREAKFAST BRULEES (Gail Singer, Calabasas, 41st Bake-Off Contest finalist, 2004) 2 eggs 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream Noun 1. heavy whipping cream - cream with a fat content of 48% or more double creme cream - the part of milk containing the butterfat 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 (6-ounce) containers 99-percent fat-free french vanilla yogurt (Yoplait) 1 (16.3-ounce) can flaky flaky - (Or "flakey") Subject to frequent lossage. This use is of course related to the common slang use of the word to describe a person as eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable. layers refrigerated re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. original biscuits (Pillsbury Grands!) 1/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons butter OR margarine, melted Spray 8 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray Cooking spray is a spray form of various types of oils, combined with lecithin, an emulsifier, and a propellent such as food-grade alcohol, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide or propane. Cooking spray is applied to frying pans and other cookware to prevent food from sticking. ; place on a cookie sheet with sides. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, cream, nutmeg and yogurt with an electric mixer on medium speed until well-blended. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; separate each evenly into 2 layers, making 16 dough rounds. Place sugar in a shallow dish. Brush both sides of each dough round with melted butter; coat both sides with sugar. Place 1 dough round in bottom of each sprayed ramekin ram·e·kin also ram·e·quin n. 1. A cheese preparation made with eggs and bread crumbs or unsweetened puff pastry, baked and served in individual dishes. 2. A small dish used for baking and serving. . Spoon 1/4 cup yogurt mixture over dough round in each ramekin. Top with remaining dough rounds. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 20 to 26 minutes or until tops are deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings. CHICKEN FLORENTINE PANINI Panini (pä`nēnē), fl. c.400 B.C., Indian grammarian. His Ashtādhyāyī [eight books] (tr. 1891) is one of the earliest works of descriptive linguistics and is also the first individually authored treatise on Sanskrit. (Denise JoAnne Yennie, Nashville, Tenn., $1 million grand prize winner, 40th Bake-Off Contest, 2002) 1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust (Pillsbury) 1 (9-ounce) package frozen spinach (Green Giant) 1/4 cup light mayonnaise 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil olive oil, pale yellow to greenish oil obtained from the pulp of olives by separating the liquids from solids. Olive oil was used in the ancient world for lighting, in the preparation of food, and as an anointing oil for both ritual and cosmetic purposes. 1 cup chopped red onion 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon vinegar (cider, red wine OR balsamic balsamic (bäl·sämˑ·ik), n a substance that can soften and reduce mucus. ) 2 boneless Bone´less a. 1. Without bones. Adj. 1. boneless - being without a bone or bones; "jellyfish are boneless" skinless chicken breast halves 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 4 (4-inch) slices provolone pro·vo·lo·ne n. A hard, usually smoked Italian cheese. [Italian, augmentative of provola, a kind of cheese.] cheese Unroll dough; place in ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edges of pan. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 10 minutes. Cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Meanwhile, cook spinach as directed on package. Drain well; squeeze dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and 1/2 of minced garlic; mix well. Refrigerate re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. . Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add red onion; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add sugar and vinegar. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until most of liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. To flatten each chicken breast half, place, boned side up, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper waxed paper n. Wax paper. waxed paper or wax paper Noun paper treated or coated with wax or paraffin to make it waterproof . Working from center, gently pound chicken with flat side of meat mallet mallet, n a hammering instrument. mallet, hard, n a small hammer with a leather-, rubber-, fiber-, or metal-faced head; used to supply force or to supplement hand force for the compaction of foil or amalgam and to seat cast or rolling pin until about 1/4-inch- thick; remove wrap. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning and remaining garlic. Spray a large skillet with nonstick non·stick adj. Permitting easy removal of adherent food particles: a frying pan with a nonstick surface. nonstick Adjective cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 8 minutes or until browned, fork-tender and juices run clear, turning once. Cut cooled pizza crust into 4 rectangles. Remove rectangles from pan; spread each with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture. Top 2 rectangles with chicken, spinach, onion mixture, cheese and remaining crusty rectangles, mayonnaise side down. Heat large skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Place sandwiches in skillet. Place smaller skillet on sandwiches to flatten slightly. Cook about 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp and heated, turning once. Cut each warm sandwich into quarters. Makes 8 sandwiches; 4 servings. TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS Here are some recipe contest tips offered by Gail Singer, a two-time Pillsbury finalist, and Amy Sutherland, author of ``Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America.'' --Let the ingredients inspire you. Try to think of dishes you've eaten, especially in restaurants, with the ingredients specified by the contest. -- When testing recipes for contests, give yourself permission to waste food. If it doesn't work or taste good, throw it out and try, try again. --More and more people are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. something with ethnic flair, so give an ethnic tweak (especially Asian) to recipes. --Most contests are looking for simple recipes with short ingredient lists. Use specified ingredients in a classic way but with a twist. --Give your recipe a catchy or short simple name. Or name the dish with descriptive words (like you find on restaurant menus). --Coming up with your own original recipe is not as hard as it sounds. You must make at least three substantial changes in an existing recipe to make it your own. Sutherland says she once entered a contest with a recipe merging a favorite corn bread corn bread or corn·bread n. Bread made from cornmeal. and pumpkin bread Pumpkin Bread is a type of moist quick bread made with pumpkins that is relatively involved to make, due to the fact that pumpkin must be cooked and softened before being used to make the bread. Frequent add-ins include nuts or raisins. into a coffee cake topped with streusel streu·sel n. A crumblike topping for coffee cakes and rich breads, consisting of flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and sometimes chopped nutmeats. , making for a new recipe. It didn't win, but it's really good and she makes it often. --Know the contest rules backward and forward Adv. 1. backward and forward - moving from one place to another and back again; "he traveled back and forth between Los Angeles and New York"; "the treetops whipped to and fro in a frightening manner"; "the old man just sat on the porch and rocked back and forth all and follow them. --Keep in mind that besides tasting good, presentation is important. Always include written garnishing instructions in recipes. --In order to be a contester, you don't have to be a good cook. To do well, you have to come up with something that appeals and fits the parameters of the contest. --For up-to-date information about recipe contests and winners, go to Cooking Contest Central at www.recipecontests.com. - Natalie Haughton START HERE TO WIN If you want to get on the recipe contest-entry circuit, take a look at some of these Web sites that include information on dates, rules and deadlines. You'll also find the latest winners' recipes on some of them. --Pillsbury Bake-Off contest, held every two years, offers a $1 million grand prize. www.pillsbury.com. --National Chicken Cooking Contest offers a grand prize of $100,000; a winner from each state is selected to compete in the final cook-off. www.eatchicken.com. --National Beef Cook-Off offers a $50,000 top prize and $10,000 to category winners. www.beefcookoff.org. --Southern Living Cook-Off awarded a $100,000 grand prize and $10,000 to the winner's favorite charity this year. www.southernliving.com. --Terlingua International Chili Championship - www.chili.org. CAPTION(S): 5 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) ON THE COVER: Calabasas resident Gail Singer with her Grands! Breakfast Brulees (2 -- color) GRANDS! BREAKFAST BRULEES Evan Yee/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) CHICKEN FLORENTINE PANINI (4 -- color) no caption (Denise JoAnne Yennie) (5 -- color) no caption (Book: ``Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America'') Box: (1) TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS (see text) (2) START HERE TO WIN (see text) |
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