"Pillsbury Bake-Off" news and stories

• Symbolizing longevity in Japan, soba noodles should be "supple, lustrous and slurpable" -- instructor Akila Inouye of Tokyo's Tsukiji Soba Academy enlightens us on the process.
• Tired of ringing in the New Year with mundane Champagne? Sherry's "distinct, maderized flavor" is again gaining appeal, particularly in plucky cocktails at La Brea Avenue's Tar Pit.
• From "potluck queen to Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist," Susie Littlewood is one of 100 competitors aiming to win lots of dough from Pillsbury -- one million dollars, to be exact. Her caramelized red onion Feta burgers got her foot in the door.
• A reader requested the recipe for the "best chocolate pie ever." Ask and ye shall receive -- Cold Springs Tavern's warm chocolate pie recipe with nuts and rum.
• Recipes: Shrimp Tostones from Cafe Verde in Pasadena; Cauliflower and Potato Gratin; Wilted Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts.

Since 1949, home cooks across the nation have cooked and baked with focus and intensity, striving to create fresh, inspired recipes in the hopes that they'll be crowned the winner of the Pillsbury Bake-Off. The longest-running and most prestigious cooking contest in the U.S. is held every other year, in order to give people plenty of time to be inventive. The grand prize winner receives $1 million dollars, so the stakes are high.

Entering the contest is easy. You submit an original recipe that fits into one of the four recipe categories (Breakfast and Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy or Sweet Treats) , and use at least two different eligible products.

Entries for this 44th Bake-Off must be submitted by April 20th, 2009 and the finals will be held April 11-13th, 2010 in Orlando, FL. Visit bakeoff.com for all the official details.

[via Baking Bites]

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You can't help but really like Ellie Matthews. Ten years ago, she won the Pillsbury Bake-Off with her Salsa Couscous Chicken recipe, a blend of salsa and the flavors of Morocco.

Now she's written a book about her experiences: "The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir."

NPR's Steve Inskeep recently chatted with Matthews. Turns out, she's an unbelievably down-to-earth, sweet woman with a self-deprecating streak that you can't help but appreciate. Throughout the interview, she insists that she's not anyone special, that she "doesn't claim to be a better cook than anyone else." Typically, Matthews says, she will "buy ingredients that look good, wrestle them into a pan, and serve a meal."

"I'm not a fussy cook," Matthews said. "I don't put four different kinds of sea salt into something, or 18 different kinds of vinegar" (it could be assumed that the book title partially refers to the fact that her final recipe for the contest wasn't garnished or artfully arranged, but she won anyway).

What's more, she didn't even really seem all that impressed with the prize money. She simply enjoys cooking, and was a little disappointed when she won because she knew it would disqualify her from participating in the contest again.

As for what she did with the money? She admitted, "I'd like to think my life is just more than just what I buy on a whim or how I indulge myself," and then said that if she was, say, at a plant nursery, she could maybe splurge on a new plant for her garden.

Again: how can you not like this woman?

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