Cooks turn up the heat in the 2006 State Fair cooking contests

RALEIGH - Robert Mermelstein (not pictured) captured first place and $150 for his Caribi-Q Chicken Wraps in the KC Masterpiece Memorable Meals Contest Friday, Oct. 20, at the N.C. State Fair.

Gail Fuller of Raleigh took second place and $75 for Barbecue Burger Casserole, and Samuel Barefoot of Benson won third place and $25 for Ham and Swiss Crescent.

Each recipe required the use of at least one-half cup of any KC Masterpiece brand barbecue sauce. Entries were judged on flavor, ease of creation and presentation.

The winning recipe follows:

Caribi-Q Chicken Wraps

• Rub jerk paste over chicken thighs and marinate in refrigerator at least one hour or overnight. Grill chicken in grill pan until cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. Let rest until cool enough to handle. Slice chicken and set aside. Combine KC Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce and mango chutney in small saucepan. Simmer over low heat 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let cool to room temperature. Spoon jasmine rice over each tortilla. Top with sliced chicken, mango-barbecue sauce, mango, onion and pineapple. Sprinkle with cilantro. Roll and serve at room temperature or chilled.
  

Barbecue Burger Casserole
Gail Fuller

• Cook ground chuck and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until beef is browned, stirring until beef crumbles. Drain and return to skillet. Add barbecue sauce, spicy ketchup, prepared mustard, salt and pepper to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese and sour cream, stirring until smooth. Stir in green onions and cooked noodles.

  Layer half of noodle mixture in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch-baking dish. Top with half of beef mixture. Sprinkle with 1-cup cheese. Top with remaining noodle mixture and remaining beef mixture. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1 ½ cup cheese. Bake 5 minutes more. Serves: 8

Ham and Swiss Crescent
Samuel Barefoot

• Mix together the KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce and mustard. Arrange 1 (8oz.) package of crescent rolls in bottom of cake pan. Layer BBQ sauce mixture, ham and cheese. Top off with other can of rolls. Pinch sides together around edge. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes.