Bake-Off Winner: Where’s the Chocolate?

If you were surprised when you heard that the million-dollar grand prize in the 38th Pillsbury Quick & Easy Bake-Off went to Seattle’s Ellen Matthews for Couscous With Salsa and not for a recipe rich with chocolate, you haven’t been paying attention.

When the call went out for entries in this year’s contest only “quick and easy” recipes were requested. All those gooey, sweet sure-winners from previous contests were suddenly rendered obsolete. Indeed, the winner of Pillsbury’s last Bake-Off, the Macadamia Fudge Torte from Redwood City’s Kurt Wait, wouldn’t have qualified for this year’s contest--it took 2 hours and 45 minutes to prepare.

Call it another sign of the food industry’s obsession with the phenomenon clumsily called home meal replacement. The fear among processed food manufacturers is that people aren’t cooking at home anymore. To lure them back into the kitchen, they’re scrambling to come up with products and recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less--preferably less.

Matthews’ couscous recipe, for instance, couldn’t be easier: Toast almonds and garlic in oil; brown chicken in it; add cumin, cinnamon, currants, honey and a cup of bottled salsa and cook till done. Her recipe was entered in the 30-Minute Main Courses category. Simple Side Dishes, Quick Snacks & Appetizers and Fast & Easy Treats were the other categories.

It’s interesting to note that as the Pillsbury Bake-Off has moved toward faster food--quicker-cooking main dishes were encouraged in past contests, they just never won the big prize--the entries have become more ethnic. This also reflects the fact that the Pillsbury Co., part of London’s Grand Metropolitan, includes the brands Green Giant, Hungry Jack and Old El Paso.