Great foods at the State Fair in Hutchinson
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Are you heading out to the State Fair this weekend in Hutchinson?
If so, you might want to check out the open-class food competitions. It’s lots of fun to see what people come up with, and you can get really good ideas for your own home!
There are several national sponsors this year offering quite a bit of money to those who compete in specific categories and the winners at each state fair will compete for a national award. You can find out more at www.kansasstatefair.com.
On Friday, Hidden Valley Ranch brand is having a special “Family Friendly Food Contest.” First place rewards include a $200 cash award, souvenirs and a shot at a $1,000 national grand prize. Runner-ups win $100 and $50 for second and third place, respectively, plus souvenirs.
They mailed me a recipe to share with you — it was a 2006 first place winner:
‘HIS & HER’ STEAK & CHICKEN FIESTA SALADS
2 pkgs. Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning
Mix, divided
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
1/4 cup salsa
1 lb. beef skirt steak
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 10-oz pkg. romaine lettuce, torn
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup canned shoe peg corn, drained
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 avocado, peeled, diced
Combine one seasoning mix with mayonnaise, milk and salsa; refrigerate. Place meats in separate plastic food storage bags. Divide oil and second seasoning mix between bags; coat well and refrigerate 30 minutes. Grill the chicken and steak to your taste. Slice each across the grain. Toss lettuce with prepared dressing and remaining ingredients. Serve with chicken and/or steak on top. (I guess that’s the “his” and “her” part — humph!)
Makes 4 hearty servings.
On Saturday, Pillsbury has their competition. The winner gets a $200 cash prize, a commemorative gift and (of course) a blue ribbon. They also could land a $1,000 grand prize, which will be selected after the 2007 fair season. This recipe by Mary Schwartz was the Big E Fair’s first-place winner:
STUFFED-CRUST
STRAWBERRY CREAM PIE
1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1 pkg. (7 oz) almond paste
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 egg white
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 pint whipping cream
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Unroll one crust on work surface. Crumble almond paste into a medium bowl. Add 1 tsp. cornstarch and the egg white. Mix until smooth. Spread on crust to within 1 1/4 inches of edge.
Unroll second crust; place on top and pat together gently. Place stuffed crust into ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Seal and flute the edges. Cover the edge with foil and fit a second pie plate inside first one and on top of the crust.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove top pie plate; gently prick bottom of crust 10 or 12 times with fork. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes longer or until crust is light golden brown. Cool completely. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, mix granulated sugar and 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. Add strawberries and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until filling thickens. Cool completely.
Just before serving, spread strawberry filling in crust. In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high speed until soft peaks form. Spread on top of pie and serve.
Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam. Not your e-mail, but the good kind! What’s not to love about Spam? It even comes in low-fat turkey, low-sodium — everything but Tofu spam (now there’s an idea!). The Spam people will be at the Fair on Sunday, looking to give out a bunch of money ($3,000 at the national level) for just the right recipe.
One of the earliest things I learned to cook by myself was fried, spam sandwiches, served with mustard, lettuce and garden fresh tomatoes. I think hot spam is definitely better than cold. Here are two very interesting, prize winning recipes from last year’s national Spam contest:
SPAMSGIVING DAY DELIGHT
1 (10-oz.) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup prepared mashed potatoes
1 (12-oz.) can Spam Oven Roasted Turkey
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 (8-oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce
1/2 tsp. sage
3/4 cup French fried onions
Green olives for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut Spam into 1/2-inch thick slices. On a nonstick cookie sheet, roll out crescent rolls into one large rectangle, making sure to pinch the perforations together. Spread mashed potatoes on top of the dough, making sure to leave a 2-inch border all around.
Next, layer the Spam, overlapping each slice by about a 1/2-inch. Top this with an even layer of cream cheese. Slice the cranberry sauce into 1/4-inch disks and place on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle sage and fried onions on top of the cranberry layer.
Carefully fold dough in half over the filling and crimp edges to seal. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, garnish with green olives.
COCONUT YAM
‘CRISPAM’
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup and 3 tbsp. butter, divided
2 (12-oz.) cans Spam Less Sodium (or other variety), divided
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar, divided
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (40-oz.) can cut sweet potatoes, drained
1 cup chopped apples
2/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick cooking oats, uncooked
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For crust: in medium bowl, combine coconut and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Grate one can of Spam and gently stir into the coconut mixture. Press mixture into bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-x-13-inch glass baking dish. Bake crust at 400º F for 10 minutes.
For filling: slice remaining can of Spam into 1/4-x-1-inch pieces. Sauté in a nonstick skillet, over medium heat until golden brown. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar and heat until melted. Remove from heat and set aside. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sweet potatoes with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread the sweet potato mixture into the crust and layer the Spam, apples and cranberries on top.
For topping: Combine flour, oats and remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cut in remaining 1/3 cup cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If desired, stir in chopped pecans. Sprinkle topping over filling ingredients. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot.
Other contests involve Fleischmann’s yeast and Eagle Brand Condensed Milk and who knows what else! The State Fair in Hutchinson, it’s a big deal!
Speaking of big deals, this weekend is the last of the 2007 Murphy’s Menu/Learning Connection Cook-Offs. Just bring your best pumpkin dish, a serving utensil (if needed) and I will take care of serving it to the Market goers. Please have your name and telephone number and a copy of the recipe. Bring it between 7:45 and 8 a.m. to the kiosk in the parking lot at 7th Avenue and Merchant Street.
You don’t need to stay the whole time, and we should be finished with the voting between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Call me if you have any questions, and let’s get cooking!