Fair-Time Favorites!
It’s Fair Time!
That always means great (and usually not so good for you) food!
Whether you are looking for savory, sweet, or salty, this week we have some fun try-them-at-home recipes. While nothing can beat the fresh, food vendor cuisine, these might help if you can’t get there, or if you couldn’t quite taste them all this year!
Fair Scones
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 30 min.
Servings: 8
2-1/2 C. all-purpose flour
2 T. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 T. shortening
1/2 C. milk
Preheat an oven to 450° F.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with a fork or pastry knife until crumbly texture. Add milk; mix until just combined.
Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until completely mixed, about 1 minute. Divide into 2 equal pieces. Roll or pat each piece into a 3/4-inch round. Cut each round into 4 pieces. Arrange pieces on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Bacon-Wrapped Corn
Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Servings: 8
8 lg. ears sweet corn, husked
8 bacon strips
2 T. chili powder
Wrap each ear of corn with a bacon strip; place on a piece of heavy-duty foil. Sprinkle with chili powder. Wrap securely, twisting ends to make handles for turning.
Grill corn, covered, over medium heat 20-25 minutes or until corn is tender and bacon is cooked, turning once.
Hot Beef Sundae
Prep Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 15 min.
Servings: 4
2 C. leftover mashed potatoes
2 C. roast beef with gravy
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C. sour cream
4 cherry tomatoes
Pile mashed potatoes in each serving bowl to resemble a scoop of ice cream. Top with roast beef with gravy to resemble hot fudge.
Sprinkle on cheddar cheese. Dollop sour cream for the “whipped cream,” on top. Garnish each sundae with a cherry tomato.
Pizza on a Stick
Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Servings: 5
8 oz. Italian turkey sausage links
2 C. whole fresh mushrooms
2 C. cherry tomatoes
1 med. onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lg. green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
30 slices turkey pepperoni (2 oz.)
1 tube (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
1-1/2 C. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1-1/4 C. pizza sauce, warmed
Preheat oven to 400°. In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. When cool enough to handle, cut sausage into 20 pieces. On 10 metal or wooden skewers, alternately thread sausage, vegetables and pepperoni.
Unroll pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface; cut widthwise into 1-in.-wide strips. Starting at the pointed end of a prepared skewer, pierce skewer through 1 end of dough strip. Spiral-wrap dough strip around skewer, allowing vegetables and meats to peek through. Wrap remaining end of dough strip around skewer above first ingredient. Repeat with remaining dough strips and skewers.
Arrange kabobs on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake until vegetables are tender and pizza crust is golden, 10-12 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with cheese. Serve with pizza sauce.
State Fair Ribbon Fudge Brownies
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 40 min.
Additional Time: 2 hrs.
Total Time: 2 hrs. 55 min.
Servings: 16
3/4 C. sifted all-purpose flour
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. + 1 pinch salt
6 T. salted butter
5 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 C. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 large banana, mashed
1/2 C. chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 C. semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray the bottom of an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.
Mix flour, cocoa, and 1/4 tsp. plus a pinch of salt together in a bowl and set aside.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add semisweet and bittersweet chocolate to melted butter and stir until smooth. Remove from heat; set aside for 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix brown sugar, eggs, and banana by hand until combined, about 1 minute. Add melted chocolate mixture to banana mixture and stir well, about 1 minute more. Mix flour mixture slowly into chocolate, stirring just enough to combine. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Cotton Candy Lemonade Slushie
Level: Easy
Total: 10 min.
Active: 10 min.
Servings: 8
One (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate
One (2-oz.) tub pink cotton candy (about 4 C.)
Puree the lemonade concentrate, 1 oz. of the cotton candy and 2 C. cold water in the carafe of a blender. Add 2 heaping cups of ice and blend again until smooth and thick. Pour into chilled serving glasses. Stick a piece of cotton candy onto the rim of each glass.
State Fair Cream Puffs
Prep: 25 min.
Bake: 30 min. + cooling
Servings: 10
1 C. water
1/2 C. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. all-purpose flour
4 lg. eggs, room temperature
2 T. 2% milk
1 lg. egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 C. heavy whipping cream
1/4 C. confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Additional confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 400°. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil over medium heat. Add flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.
Drop by 1/4 cupfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Combine milk and egg yolk; brush over puffs. Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each for steam to escape; let cool.
In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until almost stiff. Split cream puffs; discard soft dough from inside. Fill the cream puffs just before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Refrigerate leftovers.
Kettle Corn
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 15 min.
Total Time: 20 min.
Servings: 5
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1/2 C. unpopped popcorn kernels
1/4 C. white sugar
Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in popcorn kernels and sugar.
Cover and shake the pot constantly to prevent sugar from burning. When popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and shake for a few minutes until popping stops.
Pour popcorn into a large bowl and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.
Elephant Ears
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Additional Time: 40 min.
Total Time: 1 hr. 5 min.
Servings: 15
1-1/2 C. milk
3/8 C. shortening
2 T. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 T. active dry yeast
4 C. all-purpose flour
1 quart oil for frying
Topping:
6 T. white sugar
3 T. ground cinnamon
Prepare dough: Combine milk, shortening, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until shortening melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm, 110°F.
Sprinkle yeast into the cooled dough mixture and let sit until foamy.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in flour to form a dough. Knead until smooth; cover and let rise 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375°F. Roll out 2-inch balls of dough into thin sheets; fry in hot oil until puffed and golden, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Drain on paper towels.
Prepare topping: Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Sprinkle topping over warm elephant ears and serve.
Deep-Fried Cheesecake Bites
Level: Intermediate
Total: 1 hr. 30 min.
(includes freezing time)
Active: 1 hr.
Servings: 18
Cheesecake Mixture:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
Strawberry Sauce:
1 lb. fresh or frozen strawberries, cleaned and quartered if fresh
1/4 C. sugar
2 T. lemon juice
Batter:
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 C. all-purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 C. whole milk
For the cheesecake mixture: Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar, vanilla and graham cracker crumbs and beat until well combined. Scoop 1-tablespoon balls of the cheesecake mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
For the strawberry sauce: Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved and the berries begin to break down and to give off their juices, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.
For the batter: Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until the oil registers 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.
When the oil is ready, remove the cheesecake balls from the freezer. Working in batches, add the cheesecake balls to the batter a few at a time, turning to coat. Remove from the batter, allowing excess to drip off, and then carefully add to the oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch (allow the oil to return to temperature between batches). Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels.
Serve warm, with strawberry sauce.
Quote of the Week:
“No spring, nor summer hath such grace. As I have seen in one autumnal face.”
~ John Donne
