and finally, the Fair French Fry Fairies with Fairbourne, the State Fair Mascot:
Friday, August 29, 2014
Fair Cuisine
Below are some outtakes of photos from the Minnesota State Fair showing the various cuisine options:
and finally, the Fair French Fry Fairies with Fairbourne, the State Fair Mascot:
and finally, the Fair French Fry Fairies with Fairbourne, the State Fair Mascot:
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Ice Cream Science
Tucked back in the corner of the food pavilion at the Minnesota State Fair was a small booth. Behind it were 3 young men selling ice cream under a sign simply stating "Nitro Ice Cream." It was a hot day and I had eaten my fill of deep fried everything and was looking for something to soothe my palate. Ice cream seemed like a natural choice. But Nitro ice cream? Somehow to me that seemed explosive, given the name.
So as I ordered up a cup of vanilla with chocolate sauce I inquired about the name behind the process. It was an interesting story that began with two Iowa State College students who in 1999 invented a new way to flash freeze ice cream. T. J. Paskach & Will Schroeder were the "mad scientists" who used liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream mixture in less than 1 second. Doing so creates a very smooth and dense consistency to the ice cream since there is practically no air whipped into the mix and minuscule ice crystals.
The Iowa State Fair was the first proving ground for the new process. Then in 2002 the concession operation expanded to the Minnesota Fair and was on its way to international fame. The Blue Sky Creamery now has mobile franchises located from Miami to Las Vegas and from Columbus to Calgary. It's even available on-line and can be shipped directly to your door!
I'm just another happy and satisfied customer...
So as I ordered up a cup of vanilla with chocolate sauce I inquired about the name behind the process. It was an interesting story that began with two Iowa State College students who in 1999 invented a new way to flash freeze ice cream. T. J. Paskach & Will Schroeder were the "mad scientists" who used liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream mixture in less than 1 second. Doing so creates a very smooth and dense consistency to the ice cream since there is practically no air whipped into the mix and minuscule ice crystals.
The Iowa State Fair was the first proving ground for the new process. Then in 2002 the concession operation expanded to the Minnesota Fair and was on its way to international fame. The Blue Sky Creamery now has mobile franchises located from Miami to Las Vegas and from Columbus to Calgary. It's even available on-line and can be shipped directly to your door!
I'm just another happy and satisfied customer...
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Butterheads
Each year at the Minnesota State Fair a Dairy Queen is named along with her court. This is a 61 year tradition, beginning way back in 1954. Another part of the tradition is that the queen and her court receive the coveted (and unique) title of Princess Kay of the Milky Way. The first recipient of that moniker was Eleanor Maley Thatcher of Grand Meadow. That distinctive and tasteful title is bestowed annually by the Midwest Dairy Association.
It was in 1965 that another feature of the year long reign commenced. Each member of The Milky Way has the honor of having her likeness carved out of a block of butter, a 90 pound block of butter. The skilled artist is Linda Christensen who has been carving butterheads for the past 44 years. It's all done in a rotating glass enclosed studio, a giant walk-in cooler set at a constant 40 degrees.
It's a cool job, to be sure, since it takes anywhere from 6-9 hours to complete each head. They then remain on display for the duration of the fair. And when the fair is over each woman gets to take her likeness home with her, all 192,000 calories of it!
Factoid: It takes 21.8 pounds of whole milk to make 1 pound of butter.
It was in 1965 that another feature of the year long reign commenced. Each member of The Milky Way has the honor of having her likeness carved out of a block of butter, a 90 pound block of butter. The skilled artist is Linda Christensen who has been carving butterheads for the past 44 years. It's all done in a rotating glass enclosed studio, a giant walk-in cooler set at a constant 40 degrees.
It's a cool job, to be sure, since it takes anywhere from 6-9 hours to complete each head. They then remain on display for the duration of the fair. And when the fair is over each woman gets to take her likeness home with her, all 192,000 calories of it!
Factoid: It takes 21.8 pounds of whole milk to make 1 pound of butter.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Fair Fare
For 12 days prior to Labor Day the Minnesota State Fair is up and running. It's an annual event for me and I look forward to it with eager anticipation. Apparently so do a lot of other folks as well. On the first weekend of the Fair nearly 180,000 people passed through the gates on Saturday alone.
As I perused the list of new foods at the fair for 2014 with my daughter there were a few that looked very appealing. And others, not so much. We decided not to waste any time (or calories) on the bacon wrapped turkey leg or the beer gelato. The chocolate dessert salami also did not appeal to us and neither did the Korean BBQ collar with kimchi pickles. And we questioned the s'more flavored beer. Some things are just better left by themselves and not co-mingled. Chocolate porter beer with marshmallows floating on top? No thanks! But there were several interesting new items that we put on our "must do" list.
The iron range pierogies sounded interesting in the description: "...deep fried dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cheddar cheese stopped with crispy onion strings and served with a zingy horsey sauce." But we came away disappointed after sampling them. Too pedestrian and no zing to the horsey sauce. So we moved on to the deep fried lobster on a stick. That, too, was a disappointment. Too much deep fried taste and not enough lobster flavor in the claw meat with a crunchy crust.
Undeterred, the next visit to the fair I ordered the breakfast juicy LuLu, an American cheese stuffed sausage patty, a terribly overcooked sausage patty, I might add, served up in between two very dry pieces of toast, not the English muffin that was advertised.
After enjoying some of the tried and true favorites like garlic fries, fried mashed potatoes on a stick and fried cheese curds (picking up on a fried theme here?) We finally hit paydirt with two newbies that will become favorites from now on. The deep fried buckeyes were fabulous! After all, what's not to like about 6 peanut butter balls coated in chocolate, dusted with confectioner's sugar and served with strawberry sauce on a stick?
Another winner was the deep fried walleye mac n' cheese. Creamy, gooey and crunchy all at the same time. Dubbed North Shore Pasta it was a tasty combination of smoked walleye, sweet corn kernels and roasted red pepper atop a bed of cavatappi noodles, smothered in smoked Gouda sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan parsley bread crumbs.
But perhaps our blue ribbon favorite was the shrimp dog. Baby shrimp combined with cream cheese then batter dipped, deep fried and served on a stick. It was so good that I wasn't able to get a photo of it. I ate it too quickly!
As I perused the list of new foods at the fair for 2014 with my daughter there were a few that looked very appealing. And others, not so much. We decided not to waste any time (or calories) on the bacon wrapped turkey leg or the beer gelato. The chocolate dessert salami also did not appeal to us and neither did the Korean BBQ collar with kimchi pickles. And we questioned the s'more flavored beer. Some things are just better left by themselves and not co-mingled. Chocolate porter beer with marshmallows floating on top? No thanks! But there were several interesting new items that we put on our "must do" list.
The iron range pierogies sounded interesting in the description: "...deep fried dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cheddar cheese stopped with crispy onion strings and served with a zingy horsey sauce." But we came away disappointed after sampling them. Too pedestrian and no zing to the horsey sauce. So we moved on to the deep fried lobster on a stick. That, too, was a disappointment. Too much deep fried taste and not enough lobster flavor in the claw meat with a crunchy crust.
Undeterred, the next visit to the fair I ordered the breakfast juicy LuLu, an American cheese stuffed sausage patty, a terribly overcooked sausage patty, I might add, served up in between two very dry pieces of toast, not the English muffin that was advertised.
After enjoying some of the tried and true favorites like garlic fries, fried mashed potatoes on a stick and fried cheese curds (picking up on a fried theme here?) We finally hit paydirt with two newbies that will become favorites from now on. The deep fried buckeyes were fabulous! After all, what's not to like about 6 peanut butter balls coated in chocolate, dusted with confectioner's sugar and served with strawberry sauce on a stick?
Another winner was the deep fried walleye mac n' cheese. Creamy, gooey and crunchy all at the same time. Dubbed North Shore Pasta it was a tasty combination of smoked walleye, sweet corn kernels and roasted red pepper atop a bed of cavatappi noodles, smothered in smoked Gouda sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan parsley bread crumbs.
But perhaps our blue ribbon favorite was the shrimp dog. Baby shrimp combined with cream cheese then batter dipped, deep fried and served on a stick. It was so good that I wasn't able to get a photo of it. I ate it too quickly!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Twins
One of my favorite summer vacation destinations is coastal Maine. We enjoyed breathing in the fresh salt air as we sat having dinner at one of the many lobster pounds that hugged the coastline. The Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound near Acadia National Park always had a special that I looked forward to each season. Two "twin" lobsters with corn on the cob and fries with applesauce on the side. It was a maritime feast! As my younger daughter watched me down the luscious crustaceans she looked up at me and asked, "Dad, how do they know they're twins?"
The Twin Lobster tradition is once again alive and well in Philadelphia, sort of. For the month of August on Wednesday nights The Oyster House is offering 2 lobsters for $26. The restaurant located on Sansom Street is listing on their menu a "Twin Lobster Dinner" that includes 2 one pound lobsters, an ear of corn and drawn butter. All that is true.
But what they didn't say was that the ear of corn was stone cold and almost inedible, looking more like one of those wax imitations that decorates store fronts. And sadly the lobsters were disappointingly soggy and at the same time undercooked. I must admit it wasn't the meal I was anticipating. There were no rolls or pats of butter, no applesauce either. In hopes of reliving those glory days in Maine I ordered some hand cut fries for an additional $7. They came to the table hot and tasty with several kinds of dipping sauces that included an Old Bay aioli and a Cajun caper remoulade. I tried to eat them as quickly as possible while they were still warm. But when I had extracted all the limp lobster meat I could from the "twins" and consumed the fries I was still hungry. I didn't even attempt more than a solitary bite of the corn. Looking over the dessert menu I settled on a peach and berry slab pie with brown butter ice cream which sounded good. But what came to the table resembled a galette that had been steam rolled. Instead of juicy slices of fresh peaches there were flattened dried out miniature door stops. And for the life of me I couldn't identify a single berry anywhere on the plate. While the ice cream was good it wasn't enough to redeem the rest of the dessert.
I realize that I wasn't sitting at a picnic table overlooking Southwest Harbor. But maybe if I want the real thing, a bonafide Twin Lobster Dinner, that's where I will need to go.
Editor's note: I will be on the road for the next few days doing extensive culinary research on the food on a stick being offered at the Minnesota State Fair. Look for my commentary on my findings sometime next week.
Vinny Garette
The Twin Lobster tradition is once again alive and well in Philadelphia, sort of. For the month of August on Wednesday nights The Oyster House is offering 2 lobsters for $26. The restaurant located on Sansom Street is listing on their menu a "Twin Lobster Dinner" that includes 2 one pound lobsters, an ear of corn and drawn butter. All that is true.
But what they didn't say was that the ear of corn was stone cold and almost inedible, looking more like one of those wax imitations that decorates store fronts. And sadly the lobsters were disappointingly soggy and at the same time undercooked. I must admit it wasn't the meal I was anticipating. There were no rolls or pats of butter, no applesauce either. In hopes of reliving those glory days in Maine I ordered some hand cut fries for an additional $7. They came to the table hot and tasty with several kinds of dipping sauces that included an Old Bay aioli and a Cajun caper remoulade. I tried to eat them as quickly as possible while they were still warm. But when I had extracted all the limp lobster meat I could from the "twins" and consumed the fries I was still hungry. I didn't even attempt more than a solitary bite of the corn. Looking over the dessert menu I settled on a peach and berry slab pie with brown butter ice cream which sounded good. But what came to the table resembled a galette that had been steam rolled. Instead of juicy slices of fresh peaches there were flattened dried out miniature door stops. And for the life of me I couldn't identify a single berry anywhere on the plate. While the ice cream was good it wasn't enough to redeem the rest of the dessert.
I realize that I wasn't sitting at a picnic table overlooking Southwest Harbor. But maybe if I want the real thing, a bonafide Twin Lobster Dinner, that's where I will need to go.
Editor's note: I will be on the road for the next few days doing extensive culinary research on the food on a stick being offered at the Minnesota State Fair. Look for my commentary on my findings sometime next week.
Vinny Garette
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Get Out of Town!
Not far to the north of The Big Apple lies the verdant and bountiful Hudson Valley. And recently it has become the destination for rent weary New Yorkers to find not only affordable living, but also good food. It seems that experienced chefs are also making the migration north and retrofitting their culinary skills to the tastes and demands of rural communities there, whether it be comfort food or sophisticated fare. And it is a locavores delight! Nearby farms provide an abundance of vegetables, meats, milk and cheeses to establishments with names like Baba Louie's, Ca'Mea, Swoon Kitchen and the Berkshire Mountain Bakery. One restaurant, Fish & Game, is located in a 19th Century blacksmith shop and serves a set menu that changes weekly, serving locally sourced food.
The Hudson Valley has undergone some significant changes, from whaling, to mining, to lumber to agriculture. Perhaps the next thing to drive the economy there is dining. Sounds to me like some culinary research on my part will be necessary!
The Hudson Valley has undergone some significant changes, from whaling, to mining, to lumber to agriculture. Perhaps the next thing to drive the economy there is dining. Sounds to me like some culinary research on my part will be necessary!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
In a Jam
About now my cherry tomato porch plants are producing more fruits (yes, tomatoes are technically a fruit) than I can consume. The Sweet 100 variety is aptly named! But I have found a wonderful and creative way to use those diminutive ruby orbs by turning them into Tomato Jam. It's a great condiment to have around and is versatile enough to slather on steaks, corn, toast or even a slice of scrapple in the morning! Here's the recipe for you to try:
Tomato Jam
4 lbs cherry (or grape) tomatoes 1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped fresh basil 1/2 tsp coriander
1 cup sweet onion, chopped 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar 1/8cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of one lemon
Cut the tomatoes in half (quarter them if larger). Add all the ingredients into a non-stick pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Cook the mixture until it reduces to a thick jam, making sure not to let it burn. The cooking time varies depending on the amount of liquid in the variety of tomatoes used. The finished product will be about 4 cups. Ladle into glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
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