Let the Bake Off Begin

One of my former cooking assistants, Calli Overstreet, who interned with me for a few months in the fall of 2009 hosted a Bake Off that took place over the weekend (Saturday, June 13, 2010). When She and I first met she was completing a bachelor of science in nutrition with a minor in communications at Arizona State University in Tempe.

The year before when Calli found me over the internet she said “You have my dream job! You’re doing what I want to do when I get out of school.” She wanted to write about food, teach cooking classes, speak to group, test products, develop recipes, and inspire people to eat healthier food.  

Calli interviewed me for a paper she was writing and then contacted me when she was ready to start her internship. During the time we worked together she assisted me with several classes and presentations, taped me making 5 recipes from my books, edited and uploaded the videos to YouTube, helped me improve my feedback cards for classes, and joined me on a restaurant review outing. 

Entrance requirements and prizes
The entry fee for the Bake off was modest: $10 per
recipe. Categories included cookies, cakes, brownies and bars, breads, and healthy. She planned to pool the entry fees with donations from the community to create the prizes: $100 per winning recipe, several kitchen tools, and ribbons. She also got donations from a few companies to raffle off prizes for the contestants, including a 1 hour massage, a haircut, and a $50 Kohl’s gift card along with a prize for the baker’s quiz. Each contestant received an apron embroidered with the name and date of the event. A small business donated the aprons.

Check out some of the competition. >>

The judges
Heidi Clouse graduated from Scottsdale Community College's culinary arts program in 2003 at the top of her class, started her own catering company; Blueberry Basil Catering Co., which she has successfully  run for seven years.
 
Shalene Barainca considers herself a certified food eater with 30 years of experience in eating yummy foods with expertise in desserts."You name it, I've tried it.  I am always on the look out of something different that will "wow" me. And when I find it, I will eat it."

More of the competition. >>

Mandy Scofield, the nutrition director at The Gainey Ranch Estate Club in Scottsdale, AZ, has a degree in nutrition communications and has worked extensively in food writing and restaurant reviewing. She teaches healthy cooking classes, counsels children and adults on healthy eating, and develops new recipes for Gainey Ranch residents.

Jan Wyler is the principal of New Horizon School of the Performing Arts, where the bake-off was held.

Judging criteria
Recipes were judged on presentation, taste, and recipe originality. They selected one recipe per category and one special award whose criteria was a mystery.

Event details
The event took place at New Horizon School ofPerforming Arts in Mesa. Contestants arrived between noon and 1 pm to check in, place servings of their recipes on the judges with a copy of the recipe and a card listing the name of the recipe. Remaining portions of the baked goods were placed on the contestant table for contestants and guests to sample after the judging.

Me with my context apron>>>

LJs pizza provided a complimentary lunch (pizza and a small salad bar). I knew I was unlikely to get what I wanted from the comp lunch, so I packed food from home: a baby green salad with vegetables from the farmers’ marke, topped with leftover grassfed rib eye, Basil-Balsamic Dressing (from my Garden of Eating Cookbook) and an apple.

The competition
The Bakeoff, the first of what Calli will be an annual event, attracted 20 entrants and 27 recipes. I specifically work street clothes (no chef coat, no chef pants, no chef clogs) to avoid drawing attention to myself. People might have seen my car in the parking lot with magnetic signs announcing my name and what I do for a living, but inside I would be just another face.

I was up against white flour, whole wheat flour, white sugar, (possibly margarine) and ….marshmallows! Some of the other entries included Chocolate Banana Bars, Bacardi Rum Cake, Good for You Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cheesecake, Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls, Raspberry Filled Cupcakes, Ginger Snaps, Cake Pops, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins, Crunchy Oatmeal Bars, and Frosted Star Cookies. See photos above.

My entries
I entered three recipes (two from my most recent book, The Ice Dream Cookbook). My Favorite Macaroons dipped in dark chocolate, Gluten Free Date-Nut Chocolate Chip Blondies, and Calli’s Fruit Cocktail Cake.

The Macaroons I modeled (maybe years ago) on Jenni’s Macaroons, a Jewish delicacy sold in canisters in natural foods stores. I liked the purity of ingredients: honey, unsweetened flaked coconut, and egg whites; however, found them way too sweet for my tastes. I analyzed the nutrition label for protein, carbs, and fat, figured out approximately how much of each ingredient they probably used, cut the honey back by more than 50%, supplemented with a minute amount of stevia, and tinkered with the recipe until I hit on something that I and my cooking students and friends loved. One of my cooking students gave me the idea of drizzling melted unsweetened or dark chocolate over the macaroons after they cooled.

The inspiration for the blondie recipe came from award-winning blogger and author David Lebovitz’ book, The Perfect Scoop. I replaced white flour with gluten free grain and nut flours, brown sugar with soaked and pureed dates, replace sugar with honey and stevia, and made a few other changes.

The prototype for the Fruit Cocktail Cake came from Calli who asked if I could improve her family’s favorite cake recipe in the Spring of 2009. I replaced cake flour with a combination of a gluten free flour blend and coconut flour, the sugar with honey, and the milk with coconut milk, added more eggs, etc. The result, after five or six tries, was a raved about recipe that worked with eggs and without that I used in a coconut flour article for the March/April 2010 issue of  Living Without Magazine. In retrospect, I would have plated this recipe for the contest the way I did for the photo for my blog last year. I honestly didn't give the whole issue of plating much thought. I will next time I enter a Bake Off for sure!

 And the winner is….
I found the suspense intense. I sipped my cold cammomile tea and waited for the judges decisions. I didn’t enter anything in the bread category, so that was out. As they announced the winner for each category I entered, I felt I twinge of disappointment (of course I saw what I was up against: huge amounts of seductive sugary sweetened delicacies, many of them frosted with cream cheese or marshmallow cream).

The feeling abated as soon they announced the special award for a recipe that stood out in taste, originality, great tips (I always put those in the side bars or head notes of my recipes), and presentation. I knew moments before I heard my name that I WON!! My Favorite Macaroon recipe won! I let out a squeal of delight and took the stage to receive my ribbon, say a few words about my recipe, and have my photo taken.

The last time I recall received any ribbons for winning were during the brief time I belonged to a Toastmaster’s group here in Phoenix (maybe two and a half years ago) and in my preteen years when I entered and placed in several horse shows. The next best part for me was after the event when one of the judges came up to me and told me how much she  loved my macaroon recipe. She’s diabetic and she told me how thrilled to see that I used stevia in my recipe. She could make them at home and eat them without the problems she would have when she ate sugar-laden conventional desserts.

I look forward to the next bakeoff and the next opportunity to wow people with food made from simple, wholesome, and nourishing ingredients. You can find the recipe for the macaroons here.

Comments

[Laura]

Wonderful! Congrats and you look great, by the way!

Hi Laura,

Thanks! I had fun with the bakeoff! I appreciate your support. Thanks for following my blog and staying in touch!

Chef Rachel

[Merilee Stetler]

Congratulations Rachel! This is Fantastic! Healthy food is starting to gain in popularity and to win first prize with a healthy recipe when others are fixing sugary foods is Fabulous!!!
I love it!
Merilee Stetler
Life Coach in Chandler, Arizona

Hi Merilee,

Yes, it was very exciting and I felt so affirmed by the experience. Thank you for your support.

Rachel