42 | Steamboat living | Winter 2012-13

Talk about a tasting room with a view. On Nov. 5, the day before Election

Day, more than 150 locals sunk their teeth into electing winning recipes for this

year’s Holiday Dessert Bake-off in the new glass-walled auditorium overlooking

Steamboat at Colorado Mountain College’s Alpine Campus. Sponsored by the

Steamboat Pilot & Today, Ace at the Curve, Moxie Home Consignments and

Design, Easy 94.1 FM, CMC and Lil’ House Country Biscuits & Coffee, the event

hosted nearly 50 edible entries — from pies, cakes and cookies to truffles,

tortes and more — with a panel of seven judges on hand to weigh in on the

top awards. Following is a look at the winners and their winning recipes from

one of the most popular food events in the Yampa Valley.

Sweet Tooths Unite

Download the complete recipe book at ExploreSteamboat.com

Photos by John F. Russell

Winter 2012-13 | Steamboat living | 43

Ingredients4 egg whites1/4 tsp. cream of tartar1 cup sugar1 package semisweet chocolate morsels2 eggs

3 egg yolks 1 1/2 tsp. rum (optional) 3 egg whites1 cup whipping cream, whipped

DirectionsBeat 4 egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar, beating slightly.

Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Spoon meringue into a well greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour. Cool thoroughly. Place chocolate in top of a double boiler; bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low tem-perature; cook until melted. Remove from heat. Beat eggs. Gradually stir about one fourth of melted chocolate into eggs; add to remaining choco-late, stirring constantly. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in rum (optional). Beat 3 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold beaten egg whites and whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Pour into meringue shell and spread evenly. Cover and refrigerate eight hours. Yield: one 9-inch pie. Garnish with fresh raspberries, white choco-late shavings and minted spearmint leaves. Minted spearmint leaves: Soak fresh leaves in sugar water and bake on parchment paper at 100 degrees until dry and crisp. Handle with care.

-Nona Bartolini

BEST PiEEllen Ladley’s Heavenly Holiday Chocolate Pie

it’s all in the family for Best Pie winner Ellen Ladley, who’s been baking all her life, learning from her mother and grandmother. Ladley moved to Steamboat 10 years ago from Chicago with her children — Matt, now 21, and Lauran, 22 — whom she says “love my cooking.” As typical Steamboat winter kids, they burned a lot of calories that needed replenishing. “My daughter skied for CU and used to come here with the team and eat at my kitchen throughout the weekend,” she says. “My son is on the U.S. Snow-board Team, and i cook for them at least once a year at an event.”

Of course, she’s just as happy serving her pie to her hungry family and friends. “My kids love my pies, and so do their friends,” she says. “Food and family dinners are a great way to celebrate the day.”

Ingredients3 cups all-purpose flour2 cups sugar1 tsp. baking soda1 tsp. salt1 tsp. ground cinnamon2 eggs, lightly beaten1 1/4 cups canola oil or cooking oil2 tsp. vanilla

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped (3 cups)1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted Sweetened whipped cream (optional)Apple slices (optional)

DirectionsGrease 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan; set aside. In large bowl,

combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; make a well in center of dry mixture and set aside. In medium bowl, combine eggs, oil and vanilla; stir in apples and nuts. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened (batter will be stiff). Spread batter in pre-pared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least one hour. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. If you like, top each serving with sweetened whipped cream and an apple slice. Makes 20 servings.

BEST CAkEJohn Wither’s Fresh Apple Cake

Cake category winner John Wither, has lived in Steamboat 67 of his 68 years. But he only started baking about a decade ago, and this year marked his first entry into a competition like the Holiday Dessert Bake-off. “i’ve mainly just made cookies, with a few cakes every now and again,” he says.

There aren’t any particular tricks to making his winning Fresh Apple Cake, he says, other than perhaps making a trip to Paonia. “i think, fresh local apples — not Granny Smith as the recipe calls for — made the difference,” he says.

While he likes seeing others try his waist-bulging wares, he’s not above sampling it himself. “it’s a great combination of apples and nuts with a crisp top and moist body,” he says. “This was my first baking entry into any kind of contest. What a great start.”

44 | Steamboat living | Winter 2012-13

Ingredients3/4 cup soft butter3 eggs2 cup flour3/4 cup cocoa powder1 package chocolate pudding 3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. salt1 1/2 cup sugar2 tsp. vanilla1 1/2 cup milk (almond, soy, cows, coconut, any will work)

DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside (flour,

cocoa, pudding mix, soda, powder, salt). Beat butter till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add sugar and vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk till combined. Pour into cupcake tins lined with cupcake wrappers, 2/3 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes and remove from pans. Ice and decorate. Whip butter till fluffy. Add sugar and milk alternately. Add vanilla. Beat until creamy and spreadable (you may need more sugar or milk ... use milk sparingly). Spread on cool cupcakes. For reindeer, use assorted decorations and sanding sugars. Be creative.

BEST PrESENTATiONElizabeth Meissner’s Santa On His Way Cupcakes

Best Presentation winner Elizabeth Meissner, 40, has had plenty of prac-tice preparing award-winning desserts. The only problem is having them last around the kitchen long enough to visually enjoy. “i’m the mom of two sweet tooths — actually, three, as my husband has the biggest sweet tooth of all,” says the local teacher of husband, Dave, and sons, Mitch, 10, and Tommy, 8.

The key, she adds, is having fun, decorative candies on hand, and getting creative when you can't find the exact supplies. “You can get everything you need for these at the grocery store and you don’t need any special baker’s tools,” she says. “Baking is always done with love and for others. it’s so much fun to share what you baked with people you care about.”

Classic buttercream icing2 sticks butter, softened3 cups powdered sugar

Splash of vanilla1/4 cup milk or water

Ingredients3/4 cup Crisco, melted and cooled1 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar plus additional for forming cookies1/4 cup molasses1 egg2 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda1 tsp. cinnamon1/2 tsp. salt1/2 tsp. ground cloves1/2 tsp. ground ginger

DirectionsIn a large bowl whisk together Crisco, 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. of the sugar, molasses and egg. Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and ginger. Stir flour mixture into the molasses mixture, until mixture forms a dough. Chill dough covered for at least two hours or overnight. Roll level tablespoons of the dough into balls, roll the balls in additional sugar, coating them completely and then arrange them 3 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for six minutes or until the tops are cracked and the cook-ies are just set. Transfer to rack to cool. Makes 35 cookies.

BEST COOkiESrobin Stone’s Molasses Sugar Cookies

When robin Stone first visited Steamboat from California in 1999 for her friends wedding, little did she know that she’d meet her future husband, get married and move here. Little did she know at this year’s Bake-off that her baking prowess would result in her walking down the winner’s aisle with the 2012 Best Cookies award.

“This is the third year we’ve entered the Holiday Bake-off and it’s become a much-anticipated holiday tradition in our home,” says Stone, a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her two children, Christopher, 9, and Annabelle, 7.

Stone has been baking since she was a child and says she clearly remem-bers her first cooking attempt. “it was a ‘No Bake Cake,’ which tasted like a brick and weighed even more,” she says. “i’ve been using an oven pretty much ever since.”

For this year’s contest, however, it was someone else’s oven. “Our oven broke down on the morning of the Bake-off,” she says. “it was unbelievably poor timing. Luckily, the kids came up with the solution — lots of batter mixing in our kitchen and then over to our neighbors home to bake in their oven.”

Ingredients1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix1/2 cup firm butter or margarine2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour1 tsp. vanilla1 egg1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon1/4 cup chopped walnuts

DirectionsHeat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place cookie mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crum-bly and coarse. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about two hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

MiSCELLANEOUSMegan Jonathans’ Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Miscellaneous category winner Megan Jonathans, 27, says she has been baking desserts and other goodies “since she could reach the countertop.” That background helped her reach the podium in the Miscellaneous category, with her carefully concocted Apple Crumble Cheesecake. “it’s such a cozy, comforting treat that it seemed like the perfect choice to submit,” says Jona-thans, who moved to Steamboat six years ago from Tampa, Fla. The operating owner of Finders keepers Consignment Clothing Boutique says the main trick to making it is to ensure it’s as smooth as one of Steamboat’s ski slopes. “i always beat the cream cheese by itself before adding the other ingredients to make it creamy-smooth,” she says. “Also, another hint is to let the crust cool a touch before layering.” She also likes the fact that it’s simple to make. “You use a package of oatmeal cookie mix, which is a handy shortcut without compromising on taste,” she says.

Winter 2012-13 | Steamboat living | 45

Robin Stone

Megan Jonathans

46 | Steamboat living | Winter 2012-13

Ingredients1 cup butter2 cup sugar 1 tsp. baking soda5 eggs (separated)1 cup buttermilk

2 1/4 cup flour1 cup coconut1 cup finely chopped pecans 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp. coconut extract

DirectionsGrease and flour three 9-inch round pans. Set aside. Separate eggs. Beat whites stiff. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk. Add alternately with flour. Beat well. Add nuts, coconut and extracts. Fold in egg whites. Bake in 3 9-inch pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with cream cheese frosting. Mix the butter and cream cheese together. Add in the powdered sugar until frosting consis-tency. Mix in vanilla extract.

COMMUNiTY CHOiCEMeghan McNamara’s Miss Paula’s italian Creme Cake

Like many of this year’s Holiday Dessert Bake-off winners, Meghan McNa-mara, winner of 2012’s coveted Community Choice award for the second year in a row — this time for her Miss Paula’s italian Creme Cake — learned from the best. “My grandma rita kelly taught me how to bake when i was little and i’ve been baking ever since,” says McNamara 25, a teen coordinator for Horizons Specialized Services.

Born and raised in Steamboat, McNamara, got the recipe from friend and mentor, Paula Lotz. Then she tweaked it a hair in her own special way, leading to her win for the second year in a row. “The cream cheese frosting is the best part,” she says. “And it is also important to whisk the egg whites stiff.”

As for seemingly owning the Community Choice category, she says the real award is simply being a part of it all and showcasing her desserts alongside those from town’s other great bakers. “The Bake-off is such a fun community event,” she says. “i’m just glad to be a part of it. There were so many great desserts this year. it is just nice to be recognized.”

Cream Cheese Frosting 1/2 cup butter8 oz. cream cheese

2 to 3 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla

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