County Fair Week How you doin’? Pre-coronavirus, we’ve had a couple of pretty-great county fairs in Southern California—Los Angeles and Orange County. They are fried food paradises—Twinkies, ice cream, bacon and such. After all, county fairs have been leaders in the art of creative deep-frying foods and snacks that are sometimes weird, monstrous and WONDROUS. I thought I had seen it all until I went to the Texas State Fair—the largest state fair in the country. They hold an annual competition for the most innovative, different, and strange deep-fried foods. A quick sampling of what you can find in Dallas might include: FRIED—Bubble Gum, Butter Balls, Beer, Peanut Butter Banana Cheeseburgers, Coke, Bacon, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, Cadbury Crème Eggs, Pizza, Kool-Aid, French Fry Coated Hot Dogs, Pecan Pie, Lattes, PB&J, Salsa, Pop Tarts, Margaritas, Club Salad, S'mores, Pumpkin Pie, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Deep Fried Cheesecake, Oreo Cookies, Fried Jambalaya and Fried Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. Really! And, the list grows each year. So, why not something with chocolate and peanut butter? I froze a dozen Reese’s Thin Peanut Butter Cups. Then I battered them with a special batter and quickly deep-fried them, dusted them with a little powdered sugar and had a magic ooey-gooey, p’nutty-buttery bomb. Boom! Freeze time: At least 2 hours or, better yet, overnight Prep time: 15 minutes Fry time: 3 minutes a round or until golden brown Yield: 12 peanut butter bombs Ingredients 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup whole milk 1 large egg 1/4 cup cornflakes cereal, broken, but not completely crushed 12 Reese’s Thin Peanut Butter Cups, frozen 1-quart vegetable oil for frying 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, for dusting Directions
ChefSecret: No doubt, some of the bombs will melt and ooze out into the oil and the oil will get very messy. To minimize this, freeze the peanut butter cups for a couple of hours or, better yet overnight. Only pull 3 frozen cups out of the freezer at a time when you’re ready to coat them in batter and fry them. ------------------------------------------- Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Things are getting weird. It’s like being 16 all over again… gas is dirt cheap and I’m grounded.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Snack #CountyFair #CountyFairFoods #FairFoods #Dessert #TexasStateFair #ReesesPeanutButterCups #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #PeanutButter #Chocolate #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020
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County Fair Week How you doin’? When I was just a little kid my family took me to Los Angeles County Fair. I didn’t give a hoot or damn about the midway rides or prized-winning heifers. I was too busy with the carney food. Two of the main “gastronomic” attractions were corn dogs and cinnamon rolls and I would beg to have one of each the minute we got to the Pomona Fairgrounds. They weren't called corn dogs way back then—they were "Pronto Pups." The Pronto Pup was introduced in 1947, and lays claim—along with about 20 others that demand the same honor—to being the first corn dog made in the U.S. Later, when I lived in Texas, I enjoyed "Corny Dogs," as they were called, at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. Same delicious treat, different name. The Corny Dog was introduced at the fair in 1938 (although some say ‘42). The New York Times remarked that there were corn dog stands at the city's beaches in 1947. By the way, you can still get a corn dog on the Coney Island boardwalk. If left up to former Mayor Bloomberg and his food police had their way, they would have been banned long ago. Corn dogs are just wieners that have been thrust on a stick, dredged in a batter containing cornmeal (hence the name), and deep-fried. During the health-conscious final decades of the last century, corn dogs took a big hit, since their greasiness, carbohydrate intensity and shear hot-dogginess made them “off limits” to many diners. Yet they lived on at street fairs and Coney Island concessions—and in the supermarket freezer cases, though I don't know anyone who's ever bought them there. Well, not quite true—I tried them once, but oven baked corn dogs just weren’t the same. Okay, so last night while rummaging through a couple of books in my food library I found my mother’s original corn dog recipe she used for my eleventh birthday party. I seemed to remember that her corn dogs were pretty darn good, but not better than anything I found in Pomona. So here it is… Prep time: 15 minutes Fry time: 4 minutes Yield: 20 Corn Dogs Ingredients: 1 quart oil for deep frying 1 cup all-purpose flour 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons bacon drippings 1 egg, beaten 1-1/4 cups buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 pounds all-beef hot dogs 20 wooden sticks Directions:
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: If you believe all this nonsense will end and we will get things back to normal once we reopen everything—raise your hand! Now slap yourself with it, you silly fool, you. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading, #Entree #DeepFried #CornyDogs #CornDogs #ProntoPup #CountyFair #FairFoods #Snack #Lunch #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020 County Fair WeekHow you doin’? This week’s blogs are a celebration of County Fair Food no matter where you live. There is nothing better than munching your way through the fairgrounds. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles County Fair has been cancelled this year—sob, sob, weep, weep—I am shedding real tears. I don’t think they even closed the fair during World War II. This is a real tragedy. But alas, why should this be any different from other events that have closed? Schools are closed, graduations were cancelled, weddings postponed… you can’t even get a haircut! But taking away my sin-a-mon buns is the real sin… more or less the last straw for me. Whenever I go to the fair, I always start at the beginning. There is one particular stand that makes humongous cinnamon buns that look as big as flying saucers. We like to develop recipes that bring us back to happier times and back together. This is just one of those great midway recipes that match the giant cinnamon buns for the county fairs across this fine land. Read all instructions completely before beginning. Make sure to measure all ingredients and have them at your side before you start mixing. Prep time: 40 minutes Proof time: 1 hour + 1 hour or overnight Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes Yield: 12 large cinnamon buns Ingredients For the cinnamon bun dough 1/4 cup warm water (no warmer than 110⁰F) 1 package active dry yeast (7 grams) 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4-pound unsalted butter, chilled (1 stick) 3 large egg yolks 1 cup whole milk 1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar Butter (to grease the baking pans—2 cake rounds or 1 rectangle) For the powdered sugar icing 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or half & half Directions To make the cinnamon buns
To make the powder sugar icing
ChefSecret:
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: Do you remember when you were a little kid and all your underwear had the days of the week on them. Those would be helpful right now. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading, #Baking #CinnamonBuns #CountyFair #CountyFairWeek #FairFoods #Breakfast #Brunch #Dessert #Snack #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020 How you doin’? As Theodore Roosevelt might have said, “I am de-lighted to be sharing recipes with you every day.” Theodore Roosevelt, often referred to as Teddy (he really hated that name) or his initials T. R., was an American statesman, politician, conservationist, naturalist, and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. T.R. was the Roosevelt champion of so many things – the outdoors above all, where his efforts to create the National Parks resulted in a namesake stuffed toy—the Teddy Bear. Morris Michtom the owner of a gift shop in Brooklyn, New York displayed a plush bear made by his wife and labeled it a "Teddy Bear." Morris Michtom's Teddy Bear was an instant success. Michtom, along with a large wholesale company, Butler Brothers, began making stuffed Teddy Bears and sell them everywhere. T.R. only drank alcohol occasionally (he won an expensive court battle defending his reputation after being accused of being a drunkard), but when he did drink it may have been the Mint Julep on the large front portico at his home at Sagamore Hill, New York. Most people think a tough Rough Rider like T.R. would have enjoyed 2-fingers of American whisky instead—but it was the Mint Julep. You might ask where did the Mint Julep originate (please ask)? The Mint Julep has certainly been associated with bourbon and Kentucky for what seems like forever. The origins are a bit sketchy. Some claim The Mint Julep can be traced back to the Middle East from a drink made from water and muddled rose petals called the Julab. Some mixologist probably thought it made the horrible quality water more palatable. In those days nobody wanted to drink the water unless it was a last resort. I like to believe the Mint Julep’s origins are well connected to American bourbon and the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. This is a cocktail with staying power and legendary status, as well. Usually a cocktail like this needs a few passionate barkeeps featuring it on their menu, a particular establishment, or having it linked to an event like the Kentucky Derby. But with the popularity of the Bourbon Trail Distillery Tours, and the Urban Bourbon Trail (21 bars that carry at least 50 bourbons on their bars) visitors have been wanting to sample this refreshing Southern beverage. The bourbon-based Mint Julep evolved and accelerated probably because of passionate people who loved it—most notable, and very well-liked senator from Kentucky, Henry Clay. Senator Clay made the Mint Julep famous at the world-renowned Willard Hotel’s Round Robin Bar in Washington DC. His fellow congressmen no doubt took that drink and shared it along with his passion to constituents in their districts. I can imagine them saying something like, “this is what the good folks in Kentucky drink to cool off the humid summers there in the Bluegrass State.” We also owe the Mint Julep a great thank you for the invention of the straw. Because of the Mint Julep—the mint garnish was almost like a bouquet of flowers coming out of the drink. So, in order to get close enough to sip it, they needed to invent the straw! Churchill Downs made the Mint Julep the “Official Drink” of the Kentucky Derby in 1938 which remains the social event of the season (in “normal” times). Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 10 to 12 fresh mint leaves 1/2 oz. simple syrup 2 oz. American rye whiskey (I prefer Woodford Reserve Rye—about $30) 1/4 oz. brandy Crushed ice Directions
ChefSecret:
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I don't know why my fishing buddy is worried about Coronavirus, he never catches anything.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #MintJulep #KentuckyDerby #TeddyBear #TeddyRoosevelt #RyeWhiskey #WoodfordReserveRye #Cocktails #HappyHour #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020 How you doin’? It’s coming on the end of summer and it’s time to cool off a bit with a bowl of chocolate sorbet and berries. What is a sorbet? Sorbet is typically a fruit ice made with water, sugar, and fruit purée. It is the perfect showcase for chocolate, as well. You'd never guess this rich, creamy, frozen dessert is dairy-free (not to be confused with American sherbet that may be made with traces of dairy). Chocolate sorbet is a dessert every cook should have in their recipe file. It is easy (time consuming, when you add the time for freezing) to prepare and irresistibly creamy. But most of all, it’s extremely versatile because it pairs beautifully with almost any fresh summer fruit. It is believed that sorbets originated in ancient Persia. Originally, sorbets were made from dried fruit and flowers mixed with sugar—lemons, roses and violets were favorites (not chocolate because they hadn’t brought cocoa back from the new world yet). As early as 1670, Café Procope opened in Paris and began selling sorbets. Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Chill time: 1 to 6 hours Freeze time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 2 cups water 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup honey or corn syrup 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 2/3 cup Dutch-processed (alkalized) unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Guittard Dark Cocoa) 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Garnish: 2 cups fresh berries (if using strawberries, hull and quarter) fresh mint Optional accompaniments: Angel food or pound cake. Directions
ChefSecret:
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: "If I had only known in March it would be my last time in a restaurant, I would have ordered dessert.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment, want to share a favorite recipe or pictures? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. You can also find these blog posts at https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind—that’s the American way. If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Dessert #Sorbet #Chocolate #ChocolateSorbet #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, Inc. 2020 |
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