NPR: BPP Bake Off: Bake No Prisoners

BPP Bake Off: Bake No Prisoners

Mmm. Tastes like smackdown.

Getty Images

At first, it seemed so innocent, so nice. Caitlin made delicious coffee cake for all the unfortunate staff working on New Year's Day. Then, a couple weeks later, Ian brought in some homemade chocolate chip cookies.

The rest of the staff thought they were lucky to have not one but two able bakers on the staff. Little did they know, a bitter rivalry was brewing, er, baking, between them.

Caitlin brought in some "Boy Scout bars," which Ian publicly denounced as "craptacular." Of Ian's next contribution, butterscotch oatmeal cookies, Caitlin said, "Baked goods? More like baked bads."

There is only one way to settle it: BPP Bake Off. On Valentine's Day, Caitlin and Ian will submit a sweet something to be judged by the rest of the staff. But we need your help. We need you, BPP nation, to determine the key ingredient. In the comments here, submit your nominations.

Tomorrow, Matt and Tricia will pick from the nominated ingredients and announce it in the Rundown. Then it's on.

Ian Chillag

12:31 PM ET | 02-12-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Today's secret ingredient is...

(fanfare, raising of lid complete with dry ice)

LEMON!!

Sent by Stewart | 12:59 PM ET | 02-12-2008

I can't even compete ever since those stupid Jessica Seinfeld spinach brownies disqualified me from bringing anything in ever again. I'm still scarred from the staff reaction.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/2007/10/the_cookbook_controversy_reach_1.html

Sent by Alison Stewart-NPR | 1:00 PM ET | 02-12-2008

Hmmm..like Iron Chef, huh?

OK, how about -- Carrots? Kahlua? Cream Cheese?

Are those too boring?

Shrimp?

Hot Sauce???

(I'm cscan in the land of tweets, by the way...)

Sent by carlo | 1:09 PM ET | 02-12-2008

In honor of Valentine's Day, how about some bitters?

Sent by Joe | 1:11 PM ET | 02-12-2008

On Valentine's day, how could it be anything other than chocolate?

Sent by Maura | 1:22 PM ET | 02-12-2008

If I had my way, I'd pick something unusual and challenging, like a hot spice - curry peanut butter cookies, or black pepper chocolate. But I believe in an impossible challenge. For a serious suggestion, why not espresso? The show is live from 5-7am EST, right? I think you need get caffeine any way you can that early in the morning.

Sent by Kate | 1:37 PM ET | 02-12-2008

For most days of the year, I'd suggest something that would really challenge a baker's creativity and might end up sweet or savory: rosemary, pine nuts, avocado, honey and ginger all come to mind.

For Valentine's Day, though, it's got to be sweet and red and straightfoward. I vote for a strawberry battle.

Sent by Seth in Kansas | 1:52 PM ET | 02-12-2008

A couple yummy things spring to mind:
Chambord
Instant Espresso Powder (hydrated or otherwise)
Oranges or Orange Juice

Sent by Sarah Lee | 2:11 PM ET | 02-12-2008

How about:
http://www.tnaqua.org/Newsroom/HighRes/ComCuttlefish9.jpg

Saw it once on original Iron Chef. Think that is what it was, or maybe Marshmallow Fluff ... hard to understand.

Sent by David Hollis, Hamilton, NY | 2:34 PM ET | 02-12-2008

100% Whole Wheat Flour

Sent by Steve Petersen | 2:44 PM ET | 02-12-2008

Strawberry battle? In mid-February? Horrors. You might as well ask them to make delicious things with grocery store tomatoes.

Sent by Stewart | 2:45 PM ET | 02-12-2008

Strawberries in NYC in mid-February? They're in the supermarkets, true, but they're not nice.

Ginger sounds really good, though, especially because there are so many forms of ginger one might work with - fresh, powdered, crystallized, candied, and so on. I vote for ginger.

Sent by allstonian | 2:51 PM ET | 02-12-2008

Ok this has nothing to do with baking but somebody needs to stop Alison before she calls a CLUMBER SPANIEL a clumber hound again. The Clumber Spaniel is one of the oldest spaniel breeds. One actually won Best in Show in 1996, a great achievement for the breed as Westminster Kennel has become the most elite show in the US.

Sent by maximumdose96816 | 3:32 PM ET | 02-12-2008

pink pepper corns...they're pretty and pink for v-day...they have a yummy kick...and they have a legitimate place in desserts and baking

Sent by mrawlins | 3:51 PM ET | 02-12-2008

I vote for sturgeon! Most likely, neither person has baked sturgeon before so this would get rid of any advantage due to experience with the ingredient. Plus, what better way to honor 200 million years of survival than by making this fish the main ingredient.

(And to respond to any "Sturgeon isn't a baked good" comments: If you bake it, it's a baked good, right?)

Sent by Jeremy | 5:05 PM ET | 02-12-2008

I'm tempted to join the side of something red and something sweet in honor of V-Day. But as a twist you could go a bit macabre and try blood oranges...they are supposedly in-season.

Sent by Summer | 8:23 PM ET | 02-12-2008

my haiku suggestion...

sweet smell, so pretty
so very hard to bake with:
lovely rosewater

Sent by JJ | 8:23 PM ET | 02-12-2008

I'm going to throw in yet another vote for the espresso... hell, make it a generic "coffee" if that makes things easier...

Sent by Meghan | 10:30 PM ET | 02-12-2008

Cinnamon Hearts = Love?

Cinnamon as the key ingredient for Valentines Day Baking

It's also nice and goes well with coffee

Sent by Robert Paterson | 6:48 AM ET | 02-13-2008

My favorites from the above comments are:
* espresso/coffee
* ginger
* cinnamon
* blood oranges
* marshmallow fluff

Completely off topic: I had a US History teacher named Mr. Mallow. The year I took his course, he married a woman named Marsha. Poor Marsha Mallow. True story.

Sent by Nathan in Holland | 7:29 AM ET | 02-13-2008

I'm pulling for capers...

Sent by Dan Pashman | 8:00 AM ET | 02-13-2008

*Conversation hearts
*Oranges
*Mint

That's so cute that you're having a bake off!

Sent by Sarah | 2:08 PM ET | 02-13-2008

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