Flour power is out. Box mixes and quick-cooking couscous are in.
With an emphasis on quick cooking, the finalists in the 38th Pillsbury Bake-Off, which took place here Feb. 23, kept things simple with recipes that called for ready-to-use dough, bottled sauces and mixes.
Leaving flour off the list of ingredients that could be used in contestants’ recipes was a first for Pillsbury. Flour often is used in time-consuming, from-scratch recipes. But the decision to omit flour was a response to an increasing consumer demand for fast menu ideas.
Ellie Mathews of Seattle won $1 million with a recipe that scored high marks in convenience and taste. Her salsa couscous chicken featured the quick-cooking pasta and bottled salsa. Those two ingredients were melded with almonds, currants, honey and cinnamon.
Pillsbury awards the top prize from four $10,000 category winners. Mathews’ recipe won the “30-Minute Main Dish” category. The other category winners were Richard McHargue, Richmond, Ky., for a Tex-Mex appetizer tart in the “Quick Snacks and Fast Appetizers” category; Betty Schroedl, Jefferson, Wis., for a Texas two-step slaw in “Simple Side Dishes” category; and Edwina Gadsby, Great Falls, Mont., for brownie souffle cake with mint cream in “Fast and Easy Treats.”
Mathews may have been the winner of the “Quick & Easy” Bake-Off, but she certainly wasn’t the fastest cook during the competition. Finalists had from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to prepare their dishes. Most contestants were finished hours before the cooking stations were shut down. Befitting her cool demeanor, Mathews took her time. She made her salsa couscous chicken three times–the first batch looked so good she sent it to be photographed; the second batch tasted good, so it went to the judges. But by the time she finished the third batch, which was for sampling by other finalists and onlookers, very few people were left to eat the dish.
“And the truth is,” she said, “it was a bit of a dud.”
After Mathews was named the $1 million cook on Tuesday, Pillsbury officials whisked her off to Los Angeles for a taping of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” The show aired Feb. 24.
Home cooks considering entering the next Bake-Off, in 2000, might be interested in this tip from finalist Steve Grieger of Oceanside, Calif.: He came up with his chocolate crescent twist recipe after watching a “Seinfeld” episode about buying a babka, a sweet yeast bread. Now he’s cruising the television airwaves for more inspiration.
“I’m working my way through the sitcoms,” Grieger said. “I’m waiting for them to make something on `Frasier.’ “
SALSA COUSCOUS CHICKEN
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 cup Old El Paso Garden Pepper or Thick ‘n Chunky salsa
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons dried currants
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups cooked couscous or rice, kept warm
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds; cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove almonds from skillet; set aside.
2. Add garlic to skillet; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until brown, turning once.
3. Combine salsa, water, currants, honey, cumin and cinnamon in medium bowl; stir well. Add to chicken and mix well. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is fork tender and juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Stir in reserved almonds. Serve chicken with couscous.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …… 490 Fat ………… 19 g Cholesterol .. 100 mg
Sodium ….. 540 mg Carbohydrates .. 45 g Protein …….. 34 g
