Tailgate Touchdown: Ocean Spray® Reveals 2010 Tailgate Recipe of the New England Patriots

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Oct 02, 2010, 05:15 ET

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- It was a tailgate touchdown today for Denise LaRoche of Hudson, N.H., whose recipe for "Spicy Cranberry Chicken Sidekick Sliders with Spicy Cranberry Aioli" won bragging rights to the title "2010 Tailgate Recipe of the New England Patriots." LaRoche won over the judges with her creative use of cranberries using Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries and Ocean Spray® Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.

LaRoche was among three finalists who participated in Ocean Spray's Tailgating Recipe Contest at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The contest was held in conjunction with Ocean Spray's Fall Harvest Weekend at Patriot Place Oct. 2-3 which includes cranberry harvest and recipe demonstrations, hayrides, pumpkin carving, a farmers' market and the Taste of Patriot Place. Fall Harvest events run through Oct. 3 and are free and open to the public. Visit www.Patriot-Place.com for a full listing of events.

"Cranberries are more than a Thanksgiving staple," said Larry Martin, vice president of marketing at Ocean Spray. "Our Tailgating Recipe Contest allows us to celebrate two fall passions – football and tailgating – and inspires people to explore the versatility of our native fruit, no matter the activity, party or gathering this fall."

Celebrity Chef Ming Tsai, host of public television's Emmy-nominated Simply Ming and chef/owner of the award-winning Blue Ginger judged the contest and announced the winner. In addition to bragging rights, Denise LaRoche received a prize package including two tickets to the New England Patriots' October 17 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The contest was open to New England residents with a passion for cranberries and tailgating. The recipes had to be original and reflect the overall theme of tailgating. Creations were judged on uniqueness, use of product, taste, overall appearance and ease of preparation. The respected panel of judges included Chef Ming Tsai, New England Patriots Hall of Famer Steve Grogan and Cindy Taccini, senior test kitchen manager at Ocean Spray.

Ming Tsai, a football enthusiast, also got in on the action by preparing several of his favorite tailgate recipes, including "Cranberry-Hoisin Glazed BBQ Ribs" using Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries. To view his cranberry inspired tailgate recipes visit, www.oceanspray.com or www.ming.com.

2010 Winning Recipe

The winning recipe will be posted on the official New England Patriots website www.patriots.com, delivered to thousands of Patriots fans via the Patriots Now newsletter and featured on www.oceanspray.com.

Spicy Cranberry Chicken Sidekick Sliders with Spicy Cranberry Aioli
Recipe By: Denise LaRoche

INGREDIENTS

SLIDERS
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped Ocean Spray ® Fresh Cranberries
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
Salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil
8 miniature egg knot rolls or other small rolls
8 lettuce leaves

AIOLI
4 cups Ocean Spray ® Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat grill to medium heat.

Place chicken in large bowl. Add cranberries and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix. Shape into 8 small
patties; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Lightly brush grill grate with oil. Grill patties for 8 minutes on each side or until well done. Lightly
brush cut sides of rolls with oil; grill until lightly toasted.

Place cranberry sauce in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add mayonnaise and 1
tablespoon season mix; pulse until blended. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each toasted roll. Top
each with a leaf of lettuce and generous dollop aioli. Cover with top halves of rolls.

Makes 8 servings.

About Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as more than 50 Florida grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed 80 years ago by three cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981. Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2009 sales of $2 billion.