A Little About the 1st Place Winner

About Our 1st Place Winner 
Since our first place winner Jessie Grearson is a writer and writing teacher, we asked her to tell us about herself in her own words 
Jessie Grearson

“I’ve been married for over twenty years; my husband and I have two wonderful teenage daughters, both of whom are great cooks in their own right. We live here in Falmouth, Maine with our two cats, Stella and Arwen who are great favorites with us. I am an enthusiast – rather than a perfectionist. I like to try new things, new hobbies, new recipes. I am a writer, and a writing teacher. I like to say that I am a full-time creative person with a variety of part-time jobs….one of which is cooking for my family. A few years ago, to liven that up, I began entering cooking contests. I made this recipe up a while ago when I was experimenting with simple ideas that tasted great. Puff pastry adds an elegant simplicity to the proceedings. And I believe in working with a few high quality ingredients that all have their own textures…here you have sweet, tart, crunchy, creamy…and the visual effect of drizzled honey is so beautiful. I am not surprised you like it! I absolutely love to cook with honey, as it adds a unique depth of flavor and (because I am lucky enough to know some local beekeepers) because it is truly a local ingredient. It pleases me! For those watching calories (and who isn't) a nice substitution can be some Greek yoghurt for that mascarpone. Different of course, but still nice.”

We asked Judy to tell us what she liked about the first place winner’s recipe. “Jessie Grearson’s Honeyed-Raspberry Crostini Bites with Mascarpone & Pecans is truly unique in the honey recipe world; she builds her recipes with her own ideas. I love the layers of flavor in this recipe. In one bite you can taste the tartness of the raspberries, the sweetness of the honey and the creaminess of the mascarpone. Then there is that crunch from the crust with a hint of sweet and savory flavor from the ground cardamom."
Judy thinks the recipe is very versatile. “This little treat may be served as an afternoon tea pastry or a light dessert.”


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