Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest FYI: For Your Inspiration

From easy-to-enjoy breakfast treats to favorite family dinners with a twist, today’s top amateur cooks know creative, simple recipe ideas can’t be beat. Reflecting these popular tastes and trends, the 100 original recipes vying for the $1 million grand prize in the 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest are ready to inspire cooks at www.bakeoff.com.

“Our final 100 recipes truly represent the diverse flavors of American cooking and baking,” said Jann Atkins, Pillsbury Bake-Off® Kitchens Manager. “With fresh, innovative solutions that are sure to appeal to families everywhere, these recipes really are easy wows.”

The creators of the final 100 Bake-Off® recipes will compete March 25-27, 2012, in Orlando at the contest finals in one of four categories: Breakfast & Brunches; Entertaining Appetizers; Dinner Made Easy™; or Sweet Treats. The 100 final recipes represent popular food trends that can be grouped into four themes – Bake-Off® FYI – for your inspiration.

Modern Classics

Today’s comfort foods don’t necessarily resemble the traditional dishes our parents and grandparents served, but they are equally as loved. Many Bake-Off® finalists offered a creative take or ethnic flair on the classics, infusing vibrant Mediterranean, Indian and Asian flavors.

“Like a classic car or timeless fashion, some recipes will never go out of style,” Atkins said. “But we saw a number of dishes – even the beloved pot pie – updated for modern-family tastes. Finalists also weren’t afraid to layer flavors and blend spices to get just the right result,” Atkins said.

For example, try some of these finalist recipes, now available at bakeoff.com:

• Cranberry-Orange Baklava Pinwheels: Change up classic Greek baklava with a flaky Pillsbury® pie crust version drizzled with honey.
• Carrot Cake Tart: Love carrot cake? Love pie? Bake them together in an ultimate dessert with cream cheese frosting and over-the-top caramel drizzle!
• Thai Chicken Subs: Move stand-by chicken to outstanding chicken in a crusty French loaf sub sandwich.

Rise and Shine

Even the busiest families savor time for a leisurely weekend brunch together, or a make-ahead, grab-and-go breakfast. Creative, fresh ideas were top of mind for morning meals, with several Bake-Off® finalists featuring vegetables and fruits in innovative ways.

“Thanks to the popularity of bakeries and cafés, we certainly noted an increase in sweet breakfast treats,” said Atkins. “Fruits, jams and citrus zests can give recipes a flavor spark, or add a savory touch with vegetables such as butternut squash or sweet potatoes for a brunch dish your family will talk about all day long.”

Get a great start to the day with some of these finalist recipes, now available at bakeoff.com:

• Dark Cherry-Chocolate Breakfast Pastry: Wake up sleepyheads with a new breakfast pastry. Six quick ingredients turn Pillsbury® crusty French loaf into a fresh fruit chocolate treat.
• Sausage-Pomodoro Brunch Bake: Hearty egg bake? Start with crescents. Pile on the sausage, tomatoes, two cheeses and eggs. Bake and voila! you've got brunch.
• Butternut Squash Brunch Braid: You’re invited to a fabulous brunch! Braid and bake this easy dish with a savory onion, squash and Parmesan filling.

Small Foods, Big Flavor

Bite-size portions were popular among Bake-Off® finalists, with small, easy-to-make plates boasting an array of memorable flavors – from sweet almond to bacon, hot chili sauce to sweet caramel. Smaller portions weren’t just for appetizers, but for everything from breakfast bites to delectable desserts.

“A mini-muffin pan was a must-have accessory for our finalists’ kitchens,” Atkins said. “When it comes to festive appetizers, a bite-size portion can pack a bold, spicy punch. And you can get a lot of rich, decadent flavor in a petite-size dessert.”

Think big taste with some of these finalists’ small plates, now available at bakeoff.com:

• Coconut-Almond Doughnut Pop-ems: This family breakfast treat just got easier! Cut-up biscuits bake up into mini doughnuts, glazed and sprinkled for the perfect finish.
• Spicy Sesame Tuna Bites: Create a cool tuna appetizer that's spicy-hot but cool as cucumbers.
• Bacon-Cheddar Whoopie Bites: Whoopie! Indulge in three-cheese melt-in-your-mouth appetizers with savory bacon too.

Sweet’s BFFs: Salty, Savory and Spicy

From breakfast to dessert – and many dishes throughout the day – sweet took center stage for many Bake-Off® finalist recipes. But it was rarely alone, often complemented with a symphony of salty, savory or spicy tones.

“Salted caramel-inspired recipes topped the list of popular sweet treats,” Atkins said. “Finalists did a nice job adding just the right touch of sea salt for a flavor boost. Sweet heat was also a popular trend, with touches of cayenne, chipotle pepper or crystallized ginger.”

Become fast friends with some of these finalist recipes, now available at bakeoff.com:

• Marmalade-Glazed Asian Meatball Cups: Meet a saucy new meatball that's baked on top of flaky crescent dough. With just 6 ingredients, they're super easy.
• Bacon-Date Scones with Orange Marmalade Glaze: Coffee shop scones? No special stop is needed with our easy and delicious bacon, date and citrus combo.
• Salted Caramel Macaroons: Sea salt meets sweet treat in an updated classic coconut macaroon.

Contest Overview

The 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest 100 finalists hail from Hawaii to Florida, and many locales between. They range in age from 27 to 79, and five are men. These amateur cooks will prepare their original entries at the Peabody Orlando Hotel on Monday, March 26. A panel of food-industry judges, working in secrecy behind closed doors, will sample the dishes and select the million-dollar winner of America’s premier cooking competition.

To learn about the contest’s history and rules, or to check out how-to videos and try the finalists’ recipes at home, visit www.bakeoff.com. And join the Pillsbury community at www.facebook.com/pillsbury.

About the 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Sponsors

General Mills is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries. Its more than 100 consumer brands include Pillsbury, Muir Glen, Progresso, Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Green Giant and Old El Paso. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2011 net sales of US$14.9 billion. For more than 130 years, families have trusted Pillsbury to make mealtimes special times. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts, appetizers and breakfast items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company information.

For more than 110 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been committed to offering consumers quality products that help families create memorable mealtime moments. Today, Smucker is a leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural foods beverages in North America. The Company’s wide variety of iconic brands and products include such trusted favorites as Smucker’s® jams, jellies, preserves, fruit spreads and ice cream toppings; Jif® peanut butter; Crisco® oils, shortening and no-stick cooking sprays; Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk; and Pillsbury® baking mixes, ready-to-spread frosting and flour. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.smuckers.com, www.jif.com, www.crisco.com, www.eaglebrand.com and www.pillsburybaking.com.

GE Appliances & Lighting GE Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential use, GE Appliances & Lighting uses innovative technologies and ecomagination℠, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort and convenience. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, Café™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., (NASDAQ: JBSS), founded in 1922, is a leading processor, marketer and distributor of baking nuts, snack nuts and nut-based products that are sold in multiple distribution channels. Our products can be found under the Fisher® Nuts, Orchard Valley Harvest and Sunshine Country brand names and a variety of private brands.

The HERSHEY Company is the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery and chocolate-related grocery products. The HERSHEY Company is proud to offer quality baking cocoa, baking chocolate, baking chips and pieces and syrup under the Hershey’s®, Reese’s®, Heath®, Heath® Bits‘o Brickle®, Mini Kisses® and Special Dark® brands. With such a variety of forms and flavors, making dessert a memorable occasion has never been easier or more certain! For more information, consumers may visit www.hersheyskitchens.com.

Land O’Lakes, Inc., a Minnesota-based food and agriculture company, is a leading supplier of quality dairy products. In 1921, Land O’Lakes began making butter from sweet—not sour—cream. Ever since that breakthrough, the company has been a leading producer of butter and other pure, wholesome dairy products that deliver simple goodness to consumers. Today, the tradition of innovation continues with our complete product lines of butter, spreads, eggs and cheese. For more information visit www.landolakes.com.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in flavor. With more than $3 billion in annual sales, the Company manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the entire food industry—retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Every day, no matter where or what you eat, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. McCormick brings passion to flavor.™ Visit mccormick.com, mccormickcorporation.com and Facebook.com/McCormickSpice for more information.