When I attended the Pillsbury Bake-off in Orlando, Fla., on April 12, it was fun to roam the contest floor, observe the finalists cooking, ask questions and taste some of their recipes.
Each finalist had four hours and enough ingredients to make their recipe three times: one for display, one for the judges and one for sampling.
Savvy finalists save their best one for the judges, of course. If a batch ends up with burned edges or a cracked crust, that one usually becomes the sampler.
These bites and nibbles always generate a lot of chatter and winner predictions among food writers. But we're often wrong.
In fact, Sue Compton's Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups were the last thing I tasted. I loved the pretty raspberry garnish, and they had a nice mouth-feel of cold, creamy and crunch. But I never guessed that they would win the grand prize. I was a lot more interested in the Zesty Lime-Fish Tacos, and I correctly thought they would be a category winner.
I didn't get a chance to try Evelyn Henderson's Salmon Pecan-Crusted Tartlets, but I also thought they had a good chance to become a category winner. So I was right on two dishes.
In all, I probably tasted about 30 of the 100 dishes. Frankly, there were a few I just wasn't interested in trying.
Of course I'm always partial to the Utah contestants. But aside from them, here's my favorite recipe: Bourbon Street Muffuletta Braid. It's a twist on the classic New Orleans sandwich, laced with the pungent, briny flavors of olives and capers.
Bourbon Street Muffuletta Braid
Prep time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 65 minutes
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives
1/4 cup drained roasted red bell peppers (from 7-oz jar), diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons capers
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 8-ounce cans refrigerated seamless crescent dough sheet, such as Pillsbury's Recipe Creations
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
4 ounces thinly sliced ham
2 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
4 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
Heat oven to 350°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. In medium bowl, mix olives, red peppers, oil, vinegar, capers, garlic and salt; set aside.
On large cookie sheet, unroll both dough sheets, placing long sides together to make a 15-by-12-inch rectangle; press edges to seal. In a small bowl, beat egg and water until well blended; brush thin layer over dough. Reserve remaining egg mixture.
Place ham lengthwise down center of rectangle in a 6-inch-wide strip. Layer ham with salami, cheese, olive mixture and mortadella. Using kitchen scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 inch apart on each long side of rectangle to within 1/2 inch of filling. Fold strips of dough diagonally over filling, alternating from side to side and pressing to seal. Brush remaining egg mixture over dough.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. Serve warm. Serves 8.
e-mail: vphillips@desnews.com