Napa resident is a finalist in Manischewitz Cook-Off

Friday, March 12, 2010 | by stacey palevsky

Every weekend, Dad combed through Bon Appétit magazine to create an elaborate meal, while every family birthday was an excuse to make an extravagant spread.

This was Jamie Brown-Miller’s childhood.

“I had no idea other kids weren’t having escargot on Saturday night at home,” Brown-Miller said.

The 34-year-old is a fourth-generation Napa resident — her great-grandfather, Clyde, ran a railroad in the early 20th century — whose food-focused upbringing in California’s wine country could soon reap big rewards: $25,000 and a new kitchen for her home.

Brown-Miller is one of five finalists chosen from 2,000 entries in the fourth annual Manischewitz Cook-Off, which will be held March 18 at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.

“I’ve been absolutely stunned ever since I found out I was a finalist, and I’m still stunned,” said Brown-Miller, the marketing coordinator for Hall Wines in Napa Valley.

To enter, Brown-Miller had to develop an original kosher recipe for a main course made with fewer than eight ingredients, one of which had to be Manischewitz Ready to Serve Broth. The dish had to be prepared and ready to serve in less than one hour.

Although she isn’t Jewish, “I respect Jewish culture and adore kosher products, so I thought this would be a really fun thing to do,” Brown-Miller said.

On her first attempt at making the recipe she devised, for rosemary duck cassoulet, she knew she had a winner.

“The cassoulet is a variation on my grandma’s recipe,” Brown-Miller said. “She made it with 30 ingredients and it took her a couple of days. So I asked myself: How would grandma make it with fewer and all-kosher ingredients?”

Brown-Miller is an entirely self-taught cook, though she once took a cooking class on French sauces after her husband gave her a gift certificate for the course.

“My favorite thing to do is spend all day in the kitchen on Saturday,” she said. She also loves hosting dinner parties, and recently invited friends over with one caveat: They had to bring an elegant amuse-bouche, a bite-sized hors d’oeuvre.

The Manischewitz Cook-Off is the third time in the past six months that Brown-Miller has been chosen as a finalist in a recipe challenge.

In September, she was one of three finalists in the LG Bon Appétit Taste of Something Better Cook-Off in New York. The following month she flew to Portland as one of six finalists in the Tillamook Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Contest, where she was named first runner-up, winning $2,000 and 15 pounds of cheese.

“I’m absolutely in love with this new hobby of mine,” she said, referring to her recent foray into the world of cooking contests.

Being chosen as a Manischewitz Cook-Off finalist inspired her to read up on kashrut, and now, she noted, “I have a healthy new respect for people who do keep kosher.”

 

Rosemary Duck Cassoulet
Serves 4

4 duck breasts, de-boned
4 cups cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups red onions, chopped
2 cups Manischewitz All-Natural Beef Broth
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
5 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper
4 Tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Manischewitz Italian Herb Coating Crumbs

Chop duck breasts into 1-inch cubes. Over medium-high heat sauté chopped duck breasts in a large stewpot for about five minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Stir often.
Add the beans and onions and continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes.
Add broth, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring temperature up to a boil and cook on high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat to medium and add the rosemary. Partially cover and simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes, or until liquid has been reduced. To serve, uncover, ladle into four large soup bowls and sprinkle with herb crumbs.