Fair times are just ahead; in fact some county fairs are in full swing, in the twist, and sliding right along. The rides move out and move on soon after the last grandstand event clears the bleachers. In fact, some carnival workers have their tool boxes in tote for the overnight dismantle, hours before the last doughnut is deep fried. But just because the fair ends in one county and the children are saddened, the joy is in the knowing, the fair moves on to the next county, and we all live next to another county.
The county fair is the perfect reunion; so many folks pass by as you walk about the grounds. If you move with the crowd, and cant break away from the shift, a shout hello to a familiar face may be your only connection. A hand above the crowd waves and you think, are they waving at me? If you make claim to one of the many benches dotting the grounds, then you are in perfect observance of the passing crowd. You are then fairly easy to approach, if that familiar connection can indeed break away from fair-goer flow.
The fair food menu has made significant changes over the years. One day the only thing fried at the fair were the fresh-cut french fries, soon after the elephant ears were basket dropped, and then come the high pile plate of homemade potato chips, drizzled with melted cheese. Nowadays everything can be deep-fried; some folks say deep frying makes even the best junk foods taste better. Was this a food vendor sales tally or a teenagers choice award?
Even with the overload of deep fried, the sugar shaken, the sugar dipped, or the sugar tossed, one can find real dairy milk at the county fair, but if you need a little more sweet, real dairy ice cream can be found, scoops teetering in a sugar cone, or melting to soft serve in a Styrofoam bowl.
The only time a floppy crust pizza is okay is when you get pizza at the fair, out of a food wagon oven, a modified camper created just for food service. You can fold the slice and make your own Italian style turnover, which is a good thing because at the fair most of the time you walk and eat. Thus the walking taco was born into a bag of crushed Doritos; adding seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and most naturally the cheese. You cant forget the cheese, its right up there with frying oil and sugar, the three top ingredients at the fair.
I am hoping the next fair does not present a fair food menu beyond the realms of normal taste buds; batter dipping, deep frying, and sugar coating will never make red beets taste good, the same would go for cooked carrots. And hopefully sliced black olives on a string and liver-on-a-stick will never make the cut.
Do you have fair food menu suggestions? Send you concoctions to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Road, Wooster 44691. Emails are always welcome at thewritecook@sssnet.com.
Deep Fried Oreos
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup pancake mix
1 (18 ounce) package cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees. Whisk together the egg, milk and 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the pancake mix until no dry lumps remain. Dip the cookies into the batter one at a time, and carefully place into the hot frying oil. Fry only 4 or 5 at a time to avoid overcrowding the deep fryer. Cook until the cookies are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate before serving.
Candy Apples
15 apples
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups water
8 drops red food coloring
Lightly grease cookie sheets. Insert craft stick into whole, stemmed apples. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat to 300 to 310 degrees or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring. Holding apple by its stick, dip in syrup and remove and turn to coat evenly. Place on prepared sheets to harden.
Lemonade Shake-Up
1/2 cup sugar
2 lemons cut in half
Water
Ice
In a 16-ounce glass pour in sugar. Squeeze lemons to juice them (into glass) and then add the squeezed halves. Add ice, then water to fill. Cover and shake until sugar is dissolved.
Fried Cheese
1 block of any hard cheese
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1 medium egg
1/2 cup finely grated cheese
Buttermilk
Place cheese in freezer for one half hour. Remove cheese and cut into 1-inch thick strips just before cooking. Mix batter; add cornmeal and flour, salt, Tabasco, egg and add buttermilk until at a consistency slightly thinner than toothpaste. Dip cheese sticks into batter (use toothpicks to handle them) and carefully place in a pan of hot oil, making sure they are covered. Do not put in too many at once or they will stick together. When browned evenly, remove and immediately roll in grated cheese.
Caramel Corn
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 quarts popped corn
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla and/or butter-rum flavoring
1 or 2 cups peanuts or cashews (optional)
Pop the corn according to package directions and transfer to a large bowl with the nuts, if using. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Stop stirring; boil without stirring for 5 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 248 degrees F. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla or flavoring. Gradually pour the hot mixture (Caution - boiled sugar is very hot and will burn!) over the popcorn, mixing well with a spatula. Turn into 2 large baking pans. Bake at 250 degrees F for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes with a heat-proof spatula. Remove from oven and allow cooling completely before breaking apart. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Walking Taco
1 can refried beans
1 package dry taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons sour cream
Chopped lettuce
Chopped onion
Chopped tomato
Chopped cheese
Chopped black olives
Tortilla chips
Spread refried beans on large plate with spoon. Mix taco seasoning with sour cream and spread over beans. Layer lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cheese and olives. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips to scoop.
Carnival Style Chili Dog Sauce
1 pound ground chuck
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 six-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon dried, minced onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (heaping)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Brown ground beef in a skillet, adding onions halfway through. Add minced garlic when meat is nearly done. Add remaining ingredients; stir well to combine. Simmer over low heat 15 minutes. Serve over hot dogs, Coney Island style!
