Just in time for the holidays, the recipes from the tenth entry period of the Get Cooking Recipe Contest have been evaluated and a winner has been decided.

Here were the challengers:

• Chicken Stew - Sandra Robinson of Cincinnati, OH
• Ambrosial Roasted Garlic Cauliflower - Rita Ladany of Edison, NJ
• Guava Cheesecake - Ivania Mora of Miami, FL

Each one of the recipes for this round were packed with very strong, and very different, flavors. At the end of the day we can only have one winner and the Guava Cheesecake won over the judges - congrats Ivania!

The cheesecake was simple in preparation, and while we could not find guava paste, we substituted a mixture of tropical fruit purees in place of the guava paste and it came out delicious. Not only does the fruit add a nice color to the finished product, but it offsets the cream cheese flavor of the cake. The recipe calls for using the food processor for mixing, which is an excellent method, but we suggest cutting the bars of cream cheese into six pieces before adding to the work bowl. Also, it can only be done in a 14-cup or larger food processor in order to achieve best results. If you do not have a food processor that large, either mix in two batches, or use a hand or stand mixer in its place. The user did not specify a baking time, so we suggest baking in the bain-marie at 325°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until just set.

The other two recipes were tough contenders.

The Ambrosial Roasted Garlic Cauliflower was very rich in flavor. The mix of the roasted garlic, olive oil, rosemary and saffron were quite nice, but we would suggest to cut back on the salt for it was a bit heavy handed.

Finally, the Chicken Stew was another strong dish. This is an easy and quick dinner that can be done any night of the week. While the flavors were good, it was not the most appealing dish in looks - we would suggest to add some color to the dish, and try it with fresh carrots and corn.

As always, thank you to all those that entered this round of our Get Cooking Recipe Contest, and congratulations to Ivania and both of the finalists.

Sincerely,
The Cuisinart Chefs

The recipes from the ninth entry period of the Get Cooking Recipe Contest have been tested and tasted and a winner has been decided.

Here were the challengers:

• Tortilla, Prosciutto, and Sun-Dried Tomato Pinwheels - Karla Sheeley of Worden, IL
• Loaded Mashed Potatoes - Sue Stengel of Allentown, PA
• Macadamia and Coconut Crusted Halibut with Hawaiian Style Salsa - Teri Houser of Puyallup, WA

The recipes were quite different in preparation and cuisine, making it a tough competition. After much deliberation - it was close - the judges declare Sue's Loaded Mashed Potatoes as the winner for this round.

While each dish had its strength, the fact that the mashed potato dish was simplified by using the Cuisinart® Stand Mixer (could also use the hand mixer) won over the panel of judges. While there are some suggestions that we have in order to make the recipe more pleasing to the palate (reduce the nutmeg - we think that the 1 tablespoon in the recipe is a typo and should be no more than 1 teaspoon) the ease of the recipe is what makes this a winner.

The other two finalists created quite a race to the finish line this round.

The Pinwheels were quite a hit in the Test Kitchen. They were simple and would be a quick lunch or after school snack, or as a casual appetizer. We were unable to find spinach tortillas, so we had to use plain ones instead which did not make for as impressive a presentation as we would have hoped. If this is the case for those wanting to make this at home, we suggest adding some fresh spinach to the roll-up to bring some color to the dish.

Finally, the Macadamia and Coconut Crusted Halibut with Hawaiian Style Salsa was another quick dish. We found it to be a bit wanting for flavor; therefore we would add some salt to the breading. Also, the "salsa" as instructed is more of a fruit salad. We suggest cutting the fruit smaller so it is easier to eat with the fish.

As always, thank you to all those that entered this round of our Get Cooking Recipe Contest, and congratulations to Sue and both of the finalists.

Sincerely,
The Cuisinart Chefs