County Fair Foods

I'll bet you can smell this picture!

County Fairs and local food festivals were always a favorite destination for my family, and to this day I try to take in at least one or two every summer. I enjoy the livestock and culinary exhibits, photography displays, craft and quilting contests, and of course, seeing who won the blue ribbon for a beautiful loaf of homemade bread!

But let's face it---for many of us, county fairs are all about the food on the midway! Here are the recipes for my versions of three fair food favorites: corn dogs, funnel cakes and elephant ears.

Corn Dogs

Yield: 12 Servings

¾ cup cornmeal

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)

½ cup milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon oil

12 hot dogs

12 thick wooden skewers

shallow bowl or tray of flour

metal tongsoil for frying

In a medium size bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and dry mustard (if desired). In a separate container, combine milk, egg and oil; beat until well blended.  Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients; stir until smooth. Heat oil to 375 degrees F.

Drain the liquid off the hot dogs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Skewer a hot dog and toss it in the tray of flour, then dip it in the batter, swirling it around to coat completely. (I like to pour  the batter into a tall glass to make this easier.) Allow excess batter to drip off into the glass. Ease the corn dog gently into the heated oil. Sometimes I use a pair of metal tongs to hold the corn dog at an angle in the oil for a few seconds to seal the batter  so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Use the metal tongs to turn them over as needed to fry evenly on all sides.  Corn dog is done when they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Notes

—You might wonder why you have to dry the hot dog pieces off.  If they are wet, the batter may not stick to them as well, and the batter doesn’t cook as thoroughly.  This batter can be refrigerated for a couple of days.

 You can only fry one or two at a time, and they have to cook a bit longer, but it’s worth the wait.  These taste like the ones I used to enjoy at the Heart of Illinois Fair as a kid, not the pre-fab ones served in the school lunch room.

Funnel Cakes

Ingredients 

3 eggs                          2 ¼ cups flour

1 ½ cups milk             ½ tsp. salt

½  cup of sugar           2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions 

In a medium size mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk and vanilla together until well blended.  Sift in the remaining dry ingredients.  Depending on the weather, you may need to add more flour or more milk---the batter should be about the same as what you use for pancakes.  Put oil in a 10" frying pan over medium heat until the oil reaches 365°.  Pour batter through a large funnel in a swirling or crisscross motion to form the cake.  Fry until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towels and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and/or cinnamon sugar.  You may also place a dollop of ice cream on top, or use fruit toppings.

Notes

---Mix your batter in a large pitcher so it’s easier to pour, or transfer batter from a bowl to a smaller pitcher for more control over your swirl. Experiment with the size of funnel you use, depending on whether you want a thin, crispy cake, or a thicker, more doughy one.  You may have to add more milk if your funnel has a smaller hole.

--You can keep your eye open at thrift shops and discount stores for a funnel cake kit. The mix is not so great, but you'll appreciate having the funnel pitcher (sometimes called a "penguin" by carnival workers). If you don't have a 10" skillet, you can cut the bottom out of a disposable aluminum 9" cake pan and use that as a "mold" in a larger skillet.

Sometimes they're made of blue or gray plastic, but more often in yellow.

--Whatever pan you use, make sure it is deep enough for the funnel cake to float free from the bottom so it won't burn and oil won't bubble over the sides. I personally prefer an electric skillet for better temperature control.

Elephant Ears

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1 cup 2% milk

Oil for frying

powdered sugar, granulated sugar, ccinnamon sugar, colored sprinkles, etc.

In a medium size bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir to mix evenly. Cut in the shortening with pastry blender or a large fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir until a soft, smooth dough forms. Shape the dough into a ball and allow to sit, covered with a dry towel for 45 mins.

Heat oil in a frying pan on stove or use an electric skillet to heat to 375° F.  Separate dough into 8 even portions. Press each dough into a rough circle and work with your fingertips into a thin circle about 5” in diameter. Fry one or two at a time in hot oil and allow to cook until golden brown and then flip, 60 to 90 seconds per side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve warm sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

Notes

--These county fair favorites have their origins in Navajo fry bread, which the tribal women made using the flour, sugar, lard and salt that had been supplied by the U.S. government. You will also see versions of elephant ears using yeasted dough, but these are much quicker and easier to make.

--While I was working on my book Breakfast Breads and Sweet Treats, I needed pictures of elephant ears, so I enlisted some of my students to help in the test kitchen. They are, as a general rule, more than willing to do dishes in return for free samples!