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Sushi recipe is a Pillsbury national finalist

By Adrianne DeWeese - adrianne.deweese@examiner.net

The Examiner

Posted Apr 17, 2012 @ 11:43 PM

Julie McIntire’s love for baking started as a young child, growing up in the kitchen with her stay-at-home mother.

The kitchen designing... well, that came later, after she had earned a degree in interior design.

McIntire’s Independence kitchen is special, with its green cabinetry and a door covered in chalkboard paint with her freehand drawing of the Pillsbury Doughboy.

She had entered several cooking contests in the past, but it was only recently that she became a national finalist, competing for a $1 million prize at the Pillsbury Bake-Off March 25-27 in Orlando, Fla.

While her original recipe for salmon crescent sushi rolls didn’t win the top honor, McIntire did take home the GE Imagination At Work Award, and the announcement took place as part of a special live broadcast of Hallmark Channel’s “The Martha Stewart Show.”

She’ll somehow incorporate her prize – $5,000 worth of brand-new General Electric appliances – into her retro-style kitchen, “but I don’t want to give up my old stove,” McIntire says, laughing. “I like the way it looks.”

McIntire’s 1950s stove came with the house when she bought it, and it still works “so far,” she says.

1 Where do you get your inspiration for cooking and baking?	For this recipe, I just eat a ton of avocados and salmon, so I thought it would be good to work with stuff I’m familiar with. I like sushi, so I just decided to do a sushi-style recipe. I like making desserts like cheesecakes and torts and chocolate desserts.
2 How did you get the idea for the salmon crescent sushi rolls recipe, and what would be a good place or occasion to serve it?	It makes a good appetizer, and it’s good for when you have friends or family over. Also, since I made so many samples, I would have it for dinner. (Laughs) It’s very easy to eat a lot of them. It didn’t take too long to develop. I kind of got the idea, and then I didn’t know if the rice and raw salmon would cook inside of the dough, so I had to try that a couple of times and figure out how it works. I love to put avocado on everything, so I just put it on this too.
3 What was the biggest lesson you learned from the competition?	There were just a lot of serious cooks there. I’m just starting to discover how many contests are out there, so I plan on entering more contests. There are tons of cooking contests out there. Someone said about 30 percent of the people (in Orlando) were second- and third-time finalists. There were serious competitors there. I was really lucky because this time, I only submitted one recipe – sometimes, people will submit 50 recipes to try to get in. It’s crazy.
4 What do you think makes a good kitchen design?	The right balance of storage and counter space and a good work triangle. For me, I’m just really into cheerful things. I think it has to be a reflection of your personal taste, not someone else’s.
5 Is there another bake-off competition that you have your eye on?	I just joined a community that has all the contests listed a couple of days ago, and it’s just overwhelming. There are deadlines for contests every day – it’s crazy. I need to focus in on certain ones. It’d be great to win some money at one of these contests. (Laughs) I would definitely like to go back to the Pillsbury Bake-Off and hopefully win some money next time.

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The Examiner/Adrianne DeWeese

Julie McIntire of Independence won the GE Imagination At Work Award in late March at the Pillsbury Bake-Off that featured 100 competitors. Her original salmon crescent sushi rolls recipe incorporates the Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet.

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Salmon crescent sushi rolls

Makes 24 appetizers. Prep time is 30 minutes; total time is 55 minutes.

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet (McIntire used Pillsbury for eligibility in the company’s bake-off contest.)

8 ounce salmon fillet (about 5 inches long by 3 inches wide by 3/4 inch thick), skin removed

3/4 cup cooked white rice

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, cut into 8 slices

3/4 teaspoon wasabi paste

3 teaspoons soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll sheet of dough, and press into 10-by 14-inch rectangle.

Cut dough in half lengthwise.

Cut salmon lengthwise into 6 pieces.

To make each roll, spoon half of rice evenly down 1 long edge of each dough piece in a 1-inch strip to within 1/4 inch of edge.

Place 3 pieces salmon evenly over rice, overlapping salmon to fit, if necessary.
Starting at long side topped with salmon, roll up; pinch seam to seal.

Sprinkle sesame seed on ungreased cookie sheet. Roll and press each log in sesame seed to coat.

Place rolls, seam side down, on cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.

Transfer rolls to cutting board. Using serrated knife, cut each roll into 12 slices. Cut each slice of avocado into thirds; place 1 slice on top of each roll. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.