All's Fair

Here are some great recipes of fair favorites.  They are easy enough to try at home and tide you over until your next fair or outdoor event. Play around and maybe you'll be able to create the next great fair food feature.

 

Corn Dogs

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 2 (16 ounce) packages beef frankfurters
• 16 wooden skewers

Directions

1.     In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk.

2.     Preheat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Insert wooden skewers into frankfurters. Roll frankfurters in batter until well coated.

3.     Fry 2 or 3 corn dogs at a time until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Funnel Cakes

Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1.     In a deep-fryer, or heavy skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.     In a large bowl, beat milk and eggs together. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the egg mixture until smooth.

3.     While covering the funnel hole with one hand, pour in 1 cup of batter. Start from the center in a swirling motion to make a 6 or 7 inch round. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.

Deep Fried Cheese Curds

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 pound cheese curds
• 1 quart oil for frying

Directions

1.     In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs and milk. Mix until smooth. Add more milk for a thinner batter. Coat the cheese curds with the batter.

2.     Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry the coated cheese curds approximately 1 minute each, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Eat and Greet a Treat!

Stacy's Selling Points

Michelle Tait and I (Stacy Sturm) had the opportunity to attend one of the greatest dining events I've ever been a part of Saturday night at the North Dakota State Fair.  It wasn't a restaurant... it wasn't a food fair... it wasn't a food truck... it was the Eat and Greet with the Zac Brown Band.

I'm not sure if I can even come up with words to describe the event or the food.  This wonderful group of guys, with the help of one of the best chefs around - Chef Rusty, served us almost a dozen dishes.  Each one better than the last.  The menu diverse, the ingredients simple and locally grown... no matter where they're at.  The band as warm and sweet as the food.

They had decorated the tables, ushered us in, had hush puppies waiting for us when we sat down, a special station just for drinks thanks to their sponsor Landshark and Jack Daniels. Zac Brown thanked us for coming, like we would have missed it for the world.  Chef Rusty explained the menu, what it takes to put the event together and then welcomed us to come up and eat. Where the band served us and chatted with us as we went through line.

I don't know if I can even give you highlights from the menu because all the dishes were so good. You can't beat a good meat though.  The pork tenderloin and beef tenderloin was so tender you could cut it like butta (east coast version of butter).  The sauces were seasoned perfectly, cooked down perfectly, and soo smooth.  Might help that it had a little alcohol in it:)  Never hurts at least.  But my hands down and absolute favorite had to be the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread Pudding. I you don't take a bite and slap your mama, there's something wrong with you.  Not the pudding, but your own damn self.  And I have Chef Rusty's recipe below for the pudding and also the Pocket Knife Coleslaw.  You're welcome.  Who loves ya baby?!  Well it's obvious, it's the Zac Brown Band who puts as much love into their fans as their food.  Thank you for an evening my winners, my co-host of "The Dish", and my winners Beth and Ryan Mertz will never forget.

If you get a chance check out Zac Brown's new restaurant outside of Atlanta called Southern Ground.  He also has his own cookbook and line of seasonings all you foodies can use to cook at home.  I may be no Chef Rusty, but the seasonings help. He sells it all on Zac Brown Band's official website, here's a link http://store.zacbrownband.com/cooking.html

Here are just some pictures from the evening. As you can see, there isn't much left in the warming trays...



Photos courtesy of Michelle Tait.

Tait's Take

Zack Brown band can be described in one word , WOW. Right when you walk in to the eat and greet you can see the level of passion they have for their fans. There was close attention to every detail. The whole band was there to greet us right as we walked in and shook each one of our hands. Zac Brown got up there and welcomed us.  By the way him and Chef Rusty talked you could tell they are very passionate about the food they were about to serve us. We got the best of the best! It was hands down, the most phenomenal meal I have ever sat down to. Talk about tantalizing the taste buds! While my taste buds were busy, my heart swelled with pride because before the band ever fed me they were already my favorite musicians. Words cannot express how respect and gratitude I have for a band that takes that much time out of their schedule to cook and serve and then literally hang out and mingle with that many fans right before their big concert. It was by far not your normal meet and greet. Heart racing... Check knees wobbly... Check Belly full.. Check expectations exceeded...check. Thank so much Zac Brown Band! You really do, "Play The Road."

Pocket knife coleslaw

Chef Rusty Hamlin, Chef for Zac Brown Band Eat and Greets

Ingredients

• 1 head Green Cabbage
• 1 large Green Bell Pepper
• 8 stalks Green Onion
• 2 ripe Tomatoes
• Slaw Dressing:
• 2 cups Mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Hot Horseradish
• 2 tablespoons Yellow Mustard
• 1 tablespoon White Sugar
• 1/2 cup White Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fine Ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Preparation

Dice all veggies to 1/4 inch dice. Add 1/2 of the slaw dressing and add more as needed. Save some of the diced tomatoes as garnish.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscuit Pudding

Chef Rusty Hamlin, Chef for Zac Brown Band Eat and Greets

Ingredients

• Chocolate peanut butter biscuit pudding
• 8 large Day Old Biscuits
• 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 cup of Half and Half
• 3 cups White Sugar (reserve 1 cup to sprinkle on top before cooking)
• 2 cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 2 each Eggs
• 4 tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• Rum sauce
• 12 ounce Condensed Milk
• 4 ounce Spiced Rum
• 1/2 tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Preparation

     Crumble day old biscuits in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients for the pudding and mix well. Place in a 9 inch/ 13 inch baking dish and top with remaining sugar.

     Bake at 400 degrees covered for 1 hour, after bake uncovered for 20 min to brown the top. While pudding is baking prepare the rum sauce by adding all ingredients and then warm up. Top pudding with rum.



Recipes from The July 17th Show

We took a break from inside the restaurant and decided to delve into our cookbooks.  We also talked with famous Olympic Athlete Trainer and host of his own radio show, Dr. Josh Axe. He was kind enough to share some great recipes on air with us and also on his website.  For more info on Dr. Axe and more great recipes, go to www.draxe.com.

Pumpkin Blueberry Pancakes (Dr. Josh Axe)

• 1 c. gluten free pancake mix (Bob’s Red Mill)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. coconut milk
• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil

1. Combine wet ingredients in a bowl (except blueberries).
2. Whisk in dry ingredients carefully to avoid clumping.
3. Stir in blueberries.
4. Heat Coconut oil in pan over medium heat.
5. Pour approximately 1/3 cups of batter per pancake until pan is full.
6. Cook until bubbles form on top of batter and begin to pop, flip and repeat cooking.
7. Serve warm with blueberry and maple syrup.

Chocolate Mousse (Dr. Josh Axe)

• 1/2 c. dates, soaked

• 1/2 c. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
• 1-1 1/2 c. mashed avocado (abt. 2-3 avocados)
• 3/4 c. organic cocoa or carob powder
• 1/2 c. water

Blend or process dates, maple syrup and vanilla extract until smooth. Add mashed avocado and cocoa powder and process until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed. Add the water and process until smooth. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer up to 2 weeks.

Fudgesicles: Freeze the Chocolate Mousse in ice cube trays. Thaw for 5 min. before serving.

Chocolate Sauce or Fondue: Increase water to 1 c.   This mousse is rich and smooth. It is delicious alone or served as fondue with fresh strawberries, bananas or tangerines.

 

KFC (Kitchen Fried Chicken better than the other stuff) (Stacy)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons pepper
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon French thyme, ground
• 1 tablespoon dried sweet basil, ground
• 1 teaspoon oregano, ground
• 1 tablespoon Jamaica ginger, ground (regular ground ginger will work too)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 2 ½- 3 lb. chickens, cut into 8 pieces each

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a large paper bag. Set aside.

Put chicken and buttermilk in two large plastic Ziploc bags or a flat dish and marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, turning every 30 minutes. This tenderizes the meat as well as removes any blood.

When ready to cook, remove chicken pieces from buttermilk, shake off excess liquid. Toss with dry ingredients in bag. The chicken should be lightly covered, but it's okay if there are a few missed spots.

Fill a large, heavy bottomed skillet or deep pot with enough oil to cover halfway up the largest piece of chicken. Heat oil to 325-350 degrees. If you don't have a cooking thermometer, wait for small bubbles to form.

Adjust heat so the oil bubbles are steady but not too rapid. Working in two or more batches, place the coated chicken in the hot oil. After about eight minutes, the chicken will be golden brown underneath. Turn over once and cook for an additional eight minutes or until nicely browned on both sides. After frying, place chicken on a metal sheet tray covered in a paper towel and transfer to 200-degree oven to keep warm until serving.  Chicken will stay moist for up to an hour.

 

Avocado Fries (Melissa the Intern)

Canola oil for frying

1.4 c. flour

1 T. kosher salt

2 large eggs, beaten

2 c. panko bread crumbs

2 firm-ripe medium avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced into 1/2 in. wedges

Grated parmesan for serving

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  In a deep saucepan, heat 2 in" oil until about 275 degrees (about medium heat).

Mix flour and salt on plate.

Put eggs and panko on separate plates.

Dredge in flour and shake off excess.  Dip in eggs, then panko to coat.

Fry until a deep golden brown, about 60 to 80 seconds.  Transfer to plate lined with paper towels.  Sprinkle with grated parmesan and more salt.  Repeat with all batches. Keep warm in over until all batches are done.