Posted by The Daily Advance, NC on January 01, 2010 at 08:25:54:
Recipe maven Cheryl Perry does it again
Yet another recipe contest win yields year supply of pork rind for Hertford cook
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Southerners know that pork rinds are a tasty snack. And sweet potatoes compliment most any meal. But, mixing the two seems as unnatural as fish on Sunday.
Hertford’s Cheryl Perry, 49, doesn’t think so. Just in case it wasn’t fit for the South, she decided to deep fry the concoction to seal the deal.
“Deep fried pork, you can’t go wrong with that,” Perry said.
Perry’s unique recipe recently earned her top regional honors in a recent contest that netted her a year’s supply of pork rinds. This isn’t the first time Perry has filled her cupboards with food winnings from recipe and cooking contests. Last year, she earned a yearlong supply of Asian entrees, courtesy of her orange sesame chicken potpie. She also netted an annual supply of ice cream from Blue Bunny, complete with a stand-alone freezer that bears the company’s name.
But, her prizes are not always limited to food.
Two years ago Perry snared $8,000 after she claimed first place in a cook-off sponsored by grocer IGA. That contest, held in Chicago, pitted Perry against seasoned cooking veterans. In the end, judges found her ancho pepper, orange glazed chicken with sweet potato hash and walnuts as best entry.
“I was sitting there, holding my mother’s hand,” Perry recalled. “When they called my name, she kept me from falling out of my chair.
“After that, it was on,” she added.
Suddenly, what began as a random hobby roughly five years earlier boiled over into a more time-consuming passion. Perry had graduated from the grocery store sweepstakes that netted her novelty prizes to competing on a grand stage.
She now seeks recipe contests via newsletters and the Internet.
“I spend a lot of time on the computer, researching and looking at other people’s recipes,” Perry said. “Over the last two years, it consumes my thoughts.”
Her grandest stage to date includes a New York cook-off in October 2008, which aired on the Food Network. Again, Perry was among stiff challengers vying for a grand prize of $25,000.
Like most of the recipe contests Perry enters, she focused on this region’s popular cuisine. For the Food Network challenge, she chose trout with a seafood stuffing.
“You can’t go wrong with seafood, since we live near the coast,” Perry said.
Her choice took home runner-up honors, but no prize money.
“I was within 3 points of winning $25,000,” Perry said. “But, I had a good time.”
She hoped to get a second invitation this year and another shot at big-time money. Program producers called with a few questions, but stopped short of a repeat opportunity.
In the meantime, Perry continues to pursue contests, regardless of the prize.
“It’s no longer the prize, it’s the thrill of the win,” Perry said. “You always want to go after something that eludes you. Now, it feeds my ego.”
Regardless of the challenge, Perry seizes the chance to try a new recipe. When she saw the call to create a recipe out of pork rinds, Perry knew she had a slight advantage since the salty snack is seemingly more popular here. Of course, she had to add her recipe mainstay — sweet potatoes.
“It’s in my arsenal of ingredients,” Perry said.
Rudolf Foods, contest sponsor, liked her creativity enough to choose her fritter as this region’s best.
“We received so many excellent recipes that truly impressed us and selecting just five winners was a difficult task,” said Amanda Helmstetter, marketing & innovation manager, Rudolph Foods. “The best part of the competition was having the opportunity to taste so many great tasting dishes made by our consumers, like Cheryl. Cheryl’s recipe was authentic, creative and tasty which is why we chose her Spanish style pork and sweet potato fritters as one of our winners.”
Perry is currently compiling her recipes in hopes of publishing a cookbook.
For a look at Perry’s pork rind delicacy, visit Web site http://www.rudolphfoods.com/wp/spanish-style-pork-and-sweet-potato-fritters-with-coconut-herb-sauce.
Perry’s pork rind recipe online
Perry is currently compiling her recipes in hopes of publishing a cookbook.
For a look at Perry’s pork rind delicacy, visit Web site http://www.rudolphfoods.com/wp/spanish-style-pork-and-sweet-potato-fritters-with-coconut-herb-sauce.
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