COOKING

I

Along With Fall Comes
The Urge To Bake

RUTH SAMUELS

Special to The Jewish. News

s

Party Smart!

Delicious, convenient party foods come from Empire Kosher! Mouth-
watering finger foods, luscious deli selections — everything you need to
make holiday entertaining very special, yet very easy!

There's something for every age and every taste and it's all so good, so
simple to make! Empire means quality you can trust, excellence you can
depend on.

So when it's party time, impress your guests while you enjoy the fun,
secure in knowing that you serve the very best!

Miniature Egg Rolls

Crispy egg rolls are the hit of
any party! Terrific tid-bits
with authentic Oriental flavor.
(Kosher parve)

Chicken Stix

Tender chicken in flavorful
batter, the Empire Chicken
Stix are a hit with all ages.

Kosher Deli Slices

The considerate hostess of-
fers low fat, low cholesterol
and low calorie Kosher Deli
Slices for her guests. Nothing
beats eating right, and eating
well too!

Potato Latkes

Crunchy latkes are just like
home made from scratch
— but so much easier! Just
heat and serve and enjoy
the compliments!

Turkey Nuggets

Tasty turkey nuggets are
lower in fat, but tops in
flavor. It's the fun party
food that rates rave reviews!

Chicken Nuggets

Great little dippers —
serve sweet and sour sauce,
honey mustard or barbecue
sauce and watch these nug-
gets disappear.

Empire Kosher is available at finer supermarkets and kosher butchers
coast to coast. For the very best poultry, specify all-natural Empire
Kosher at your favorite delicatessen, butcher or frozen foods department.

The Most Trusted Name in Kosher Poultry and Foods 1-800-EMPIRE-4

104

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1990

uddenly, along with
raking the leaves and
changing the anti-
freeze comes the impulse to
bake. I don't mean just a
batch of cookies; I mean
mammoth baking! Bags of
flour in the economy size,
baskets of apples, and aro-
matic spices with warm
brown colors join the rack.
Methodically, pie crusts are
prepared and refrigerated;
apples and pears are stripped
clean of any color, then tossed
with citrus.
Food-splotched file cards,
articles on seasonal favorites,
and recent baking contest-
winning recipes are magnet-
ized on the refrigerator. The
whirl of the processor, accom-
panied by the hum of beaters
and bubbling apple slices,
round out this kitchen sym-
phony. Indoors, smiling faces
and encouraging words quick-
ly pass cluttered counters,
while outdoors the cold, whis-
tling winds are ignored.
The aroma teases us
through dinner, which is
quickly dispensed with to
reach the reason for being
there. A mountainous pastry
ridge of St. Helena's propor-
tion is centered between two
golden peaks plumped with
boulders of fruit. A slice of
each pie is consumed in less
than 10 minutes, or one-tenth
the preparation time not in-
cluding baking.
This year we have a baking
contest winner! How do we
enter? What makes a winner?
What are the requirements?
Every year thousands of men,
women and children enter
baking contests sponsored by
flour, chocolate, dairy and
kitchen equipment compan-
ies, plus local malls and coun-
ty fairs, just to mention a few.
Prizes range from $25,000 for
the Pillsbury Bake-off to $500
for the Sweet 'n Low
Sweepstakes.
In the past, judging was left
to the political parties in
town. The local mayor, sheriff
or justice of peace was a fa-
vored candidate. Today, we re-
quire an educated palate and
invite cookbook authors, res-
taurant chefs and culinary
educators.
Presentation is the keyhole
view of the person who baked
the goods. Since judges aren't
privy to names, only num-
bers, the first appearance
before tasting sets the tone. A
pretty serving dish is further
embellished by a pitcher of

cold milk and checkered nap-
kin to win first prize for a
plate of Chocolate Chip
Cookies.
What is original? Mainly
accidents, substitutions or a
family secret (from the "Old
Country") recipes. But a
moist, classic carrot cake
flecked with candied orange
peel and orange slices took
another First Prize.
First-time winners usually
don't win first place. However
in the 1989 Willow Grove
Park, Pa., baking contest, the
grand prize winner was a
third-grade teacher, Sharon
Finzimer, who had never be-
fore entered a contest. Men
seem to win in the bread
category while children win
with muffins or cookies.

Below are five prize-win-
ning recipes from local bak-
ing contests. I have tested
them and agree they are win-
ners. I hope to include yours
here next year. Good Luck!

CARAMEL APPLE PIE
Pearl Ward, serves 6 to 8
Preheat oven to 425
degrees F.
Pastry for two crust pie
— 9-inches. Fill
unbaked pie shell
with the following
ingredients; combine:
3 /4 cup sugar
1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
dash of salt and nutmeg
Mix and toss with 6 to 8
pared, cored and thinly sliced
tart apples (6 cups). Dot with
3 tablespoons butter over the
apple filling. Cover with top
crust. Bake at 425 degrees for
45 minutes or until crust is
light brown. Remove from
oven.
Mix for the top:
1 /4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. Karo (blue label)
1 /4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons flour
2 tbsp. soft margarine
Spread over the baked pie.
Return to the oven on a cook-
ie sheet for 10 minutes or un-
til topping is bubbly (it may
run off).

MERRY BERRY CAKE
Linda Tucker, serves 8 to
10
Preheat oven to 350
degrees F.
1 /2 pound butter
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple
1 /2 cup chopped walnuts
Grease bottom of 9" by 11"
rectangular pan. Spread pine-