Nov. 3, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

PORTLAND, Maine, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Katherine Stetson of Bath, NH, outlasted 29 other amateur cooks from across New England on Sunday to take home the $10,000 Grand Prize in the first-ever New England Dairy Cook-Off(TM) Presented by Hood® Sour Cream.

Katherine won with her recipe for Apple Butter Aebleskivers with Maple Chantilly, which are traditional Danish puff pancakes.

"Katherine performed like a true chef in a real pressure cooker environment. Her Apple Butter Aebleskivers with Maple Chantilly exemplified what we were looking for: a great-tasting, creative dish that was presented beautifully," said Lynne Bohan, Hood spokesperson. "It was a great day, and we'd like to thank all of the competitors. There were some truly delicious dishes that demonstrated some new and creative ways to use Hood products."

Competition got under way at the Ocean Gateway terminal in Portland, Maine at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1st. Competitors were divided into five categories: breakfast/brunch, soups/chowders, appetizers/side dishes, lunch/dinner and dessert. One person from each New England state competed in each category. Competitors had 40 minutes to prepare and plate their dishes.

By 3:15 p.m., the cream -- Hood Cream, of course -- had risen to the top. A panel of judges helped narrow the field from 30 semifinalists to five finalists:

Katherine Stetson, Bath, NH, Apple Butter Aebleskivers with Maple Chantilly

Tricia Robinson, Portsmouth, NH, Southwestern Corn and Potato Chowder with Chili Rotisserie Chicken

Mary Blenk, Cumberland, ME, Wild Blueberry Chocolate Blintz Crepes

Antoinette Leal, Ridgefield, CT, Shrimp and Lobster Linguine with Creamy Lemon Scampi Sauce

Beverly Dowdy, Hampstead, NH, Million Dollar Mussels

With New England Cable News personality Billy Costa doing the emceeing, the five finalists went head-to-head in front of a live audience for the $10,000 Grand Prize.

Judges Steve Corry, Rick Tarantino, Rachel Forrest, Peggy Poole and J. Desmond Keefe III determined that Katherine Stetson's Apple Butter Aebleskivers with Maple Chantilly best combined the qualities of taste, presentation/appearance and creativity/originality.

Each of the semi-finalists received a prize of $100; each of the finalists, except for the winner, received $500.

About Hood

Founded in 1846, today Hood is one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States. Hood is the number-one dairy brand in New England, and Hood's portfolio of national and super-regional brands and franchise products includes Hood, Kemps, Crowley Foods, Simply Smart, Heluva Good, LACTAID, Fiber One and Blue Diamond AlmondBreeze Almondmilks. For more information about Hood, please visit www.Hood.com.

SOURCE Hood