Posted by SouthTown Star, IL on January 21, 2010 at 09:06:11:
A million dollar mouthful?
Crete mom will vie for Bake-Off prize
BY DONNA VICKROY
Julie Beckwith's dream is riding on a tasty bite of Mediterranean goodness.
"This is my Olympics," said Beckwith, a finalist in the 2010 Pillsbury Bake-Off.
In April, the Crete mother-of-two will fly to Orlando, Fla., and bake three batches of her Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers, which wrap a bite of mozzarella cheese in basil pesto and flaky breadstick dough. It's topped off with a grape tomato and a fresh basil leaf.
"I've always liked pizza margherita and I also love caprese salad," Beckwith said. "So I thought about combining the two."
This is Beckwith's second time vying for the million dollar prize. She first entered the contest a few years ago but didn't make the finalist cut. This time, she entered 14 original recipes, making sure to include required ingredients and to be clear with her recipe instructions. The stackers helped her land in the top 100.
Contestants must use eligible products in their original recipes, which are judged on taste, appearance, creativity and consumer appeal.
A speech pathologist at Crete-Monee High School and at Talala Elementary School in Park Forest, Beckwith entered her recipes last January. She waited all summer to hear which dishes made the cut.
"I got the call the first week of October," she recalled. "I was at school and I wanted to run down the hallway."
Instead she called her husband, Jim, assistant principal at Thornwood High School in South Holland, but she was so nervous that he didn't recognize her voice.
Jim and the couple's two sons, Jamie and Josh, will accompany her to the three-day competition, to be held at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and the Waldorf-Astoria Orlando hotels. She will also bring her sister and her best friend, for moral support.
"I don't know if I have a million dollar recipe but it's nice to dream," Beckwith said. "Plus, I already feel like I've won. It's really an honor to be able to go to the competition."
In addition to an expense-paid trip for herself to Florida, Beckwith has already won a new GE microwave oven and a $125 gift card to help with travel expenses.
At stake during the three-day contest is the $1 million grand prize, plus a GE Profile Induction Free-Standing Range as well as $1,700 in additional kitchen appliances. A winner will also be named in each of the four categories: breakfast and brunches; entertaining appetizers; dinner made easy; and sweet treats. In addition, some of the manufacturers represented in the contest will be awarding $5,000 prizes for the best use of their products.
Beckwith has always loved cooking.
"My grandma used to cook without recipes. She'd use everything from her garden," she said.
As a child, Beckwith had two dreams, to become an Olympic ice skater or, later when she was older, to win the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
"I really got serious about cooking when my dad was sick with lung cancer a few years ago," she said. "I found it comforting to be in the kitchen cooking."
Though she knows her recipe is tasty, trendy and easy enough for home cooks to make, Beckwith says she's "a nervous wreck about the competition."
But, she added, "I can't wait either."
Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Yield: 24 appetizers
1 container (8 ounces) fresh mozzarella ciliegine cheese (24 cherry-size balls)
1 can (11 ounces) Pillsbury refrigerated original breadsticks (12 breadsticks)
3 tablespoons basil pesto
1 tablespoon Crisco 100 percent Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Pure Olive Oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
24 frilled toothpicks
24 grape tomatoes
24 fresh basil leaves
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with Crisco No-Stick Cooking Spray. Drain cheese balls; pat dry with paper towels.
On work surface, unroll dough; separate into 12 breadsticks. Cut each breadstick in half crosswise; press each half into 3-by-2-inch rectangle.
Spread rounded1/4 teaspoon of the pesto lengthwise down center of each dough rectangle. Place 1 cheese ball on each rectangle. Carefully stretch dough around cheese; pinch edges to seal completely. Place seam sides down in muffin cups. Brush with oil; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 14 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan. With each toothpick, spear tomato and basil leaf; insert into cheese ball. Serve warm.
For recipe success, use fresh mozzarella cheese balls only.
Recipe from Julie Beckwith, Crete
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