POIPU — Lenore Klass is hoping the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and bacon is worth a million dollars. The Poipu woman is one of 100 finalists named to the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, which will have creative cooks vying
POIPU — Lenore Klass is hoping the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and bacon is worth a million dollars.
The Poipu woman is one of 100 finalists named to the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, which will have creative cooks vying for more than $1.3 million in cash and prizes on Nov. 3 in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Some are able to just drive to the contest,” said Bob Klass, Lenore’s husband. “Lenore will be traveling some 4,000 miles.”
Klass is the only finalist from Hawaii. When she learned she was a finalist, she was delighted. This is the third time she has qualified for the finals.
“Being selected a finalist is pretty special,” said Lenore, who learned to cook from her grandmother and mother. “Last year, we met a young lady from South Dakota who said she was selected more than once. You meet so many people from everywhere and from all walks of life.”
In her first attempt at the Pillsbury Bake-Off, Klass earned the Jiff Peanut Butter Award for her Banana-Peanut Butter Cream Tart. Last year, she was also named a finalist, and this year makes it three times in a row she has advanced to the Bake-Off.
It will be her last. Rules limit participation to three times, so Klass wants to make it count.
“I’m aiming for the million dollars,” she said.
Contestants submit recipes for consideration in one of four categories: Simply Sweet Treats, Savory Snacks and Sides, Weekend Breakfast Wows, or Amazing Doable Dinners. Lenore’s winning recipe is for Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Bacon Tartlets, combining the unique taste and flavor characteristics of sweet, sour and bitter.
“The hardest part of coming up with a recipe is that you’re limited to just seven ingredients,” she said. “You also have to have the preparations done within 30 minutes.”
Lenore said her husband was the inspiration for adding bacon to the recipe.
“We were at a mall in Honolulu where they were offering samples of chocolate-dipped bacon,” Bob said. “At first, the idea was revolting, but after sampling, it tasted pretty good.”
The resulting Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Bacon Tartlets is one of Bob’s favorite.
“I keep telling her, ‘Practice, or not, you’ve got to make some more,’” he said. “She’s always going to be my million dollar baker.”
Visit www.BakeOff.com for a complete list of finalists and recipes.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
