Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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And In The Morning… I’m Making WAFFLES!

Posted Mar 23, 2006 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 23, 2006 at 07:36 AM

So, the 42nd Pillsbury Bake-Off is history. Anna Ginsburg of Austin, Texas, took home the prize for using spinach and waffles in her stuffing recipe.

The moment leading up to the big announcement on Wednesday at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee was full of tension. Pillsbury, in an effort to keep the decision airtight, sequestered judges away, asked family, friends and media to turn off their cellphones and forbid anyone from taking photos of the big moment (Check out the photo gallery above to see how successful they were. Stew readers will not be denied!!!)

Anyway, celebrity host Joy Behar, who knows so little about cooking that she pronounced Simple Snacks category winner Ronna Farley’s Choco-Peanut Butter Cups as “choke-oh”, asked Ginsburg what she would do with the winnings. When the stunned Ginsburg announced that she was going to buy “one of those bouncy things for my daughter,’’ Behar shot back, “You won a million-ten and you’re buying a bouncy thing, honey?”

Nice.

Behar also mocked Dick Boulanger of Williston, Vt. The excitable 67-year-old, who was one of only three men in the finals this year, made his mark by dancing with Sally Pillsbury, wife of Pillsbury grandson George Pillsbury, on his way into the Bake-Off on Tuesday morning. Boulanger made the mistake of showing enthusiasm during the awards ceremony. “Apparently the Viagra is kicking in,’’ Behar said.

Nice.

Anyway, here’s the winning recipe.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing  

Makes: 2 servings.

Ingredients:

9 Pillsbury Dunkables frozen homestyle waffle sticks with 3 syrup cups (from 1 lb 1.3-oz box)
2 tablespoons peach preserves
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (1 lb)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 1/2 cups Green Giant frozen cut leaf spinach (from 1-lb bag), thawed, squeezed to drain well
1 tablespoon beaten egg white
1 tablespoon chopped pecans

Preparation Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Spray 9-inch glass pie plate or 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix contents of syrup cups from waffles, the preserves and Worcestershire sauce. Place chicken, skin side up, in pie plate; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon syrup mixture over chicken. Bake uncovered 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, toast waffle sticks as directed on box. Cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Cut waffles into 3/4-inch cubes; set aside. Spray 1-quart casserole with cooking spray (or use 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan; do not spray). In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in waffle pieces and broth, breaking up and moistening waffle pieces. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and sage. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Cool about 5 minutes. Stir in egg white and pecans.

Spoon stuffing into casserole; place in oven with chicken. Bake uncovered 15 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170 degrees) and stuffing is thoroughly heated. Serve chicken with stuffing, spooning remaining sauce in pan over chicken.

In step 1, bake chicken 25 minutes. In step 3, after adding stuffing to oven, bake stuffing and chicken 20 to 30 minutes.

To see all the winning recipes in the six final categories, click here.