September 5 -
The Carefree Gourmet
by Joyce McCombs
This is one of my favorite
columns of the whole year because I get to learn the stories of
the wonderful cooks who won blue ribbon and Grand Champion ribbons
at the Deltana Fair. I usually wander over to the Exhibit Hall on
Saturday right after the parade (wasn’t it fantastic this year?)
and if I’m lucky, I get to do a quick interview just moments after
folks find out they’ve won. The smiles are a mile wide and the
surprise genuine, especially for the kids. This year I was
surprised, too, that so many people didn’t know that ribbons
translate into dollars – what better way to both participate in
and support this community wide event?
As usual, all the entries in the food division looked great and
the time the entrants put into their works of edible art is truly
astounding. I judged the cookie division once many years ago, and
it was one of the most difficult tasks I’ve ever undertaken. How I
wish everyone could take home a blue or a grand champion ribbon
for their efforts! I don’t envy this year’s judges one bit, and I
salute them and their willingness to lend their taste buds to such
a big task. It’s not too soon to start thinking about next year’s
fair, either. There’s a category for every age and stage, and as
you’ll see below, a wide variety of places for your culinary
talents to shine. I wish there was room to include every single
winner in the column, but that would take an entire issue of the
Delta Wind! Instead, I’ll feature a variety of winners in the next
two columns.
Ben Besch’s Lemon Cake
One of the cutest preschool kids I saw at the Deltana Fair was
young master Ben. With his nose pressed against the display case
glass, he could hardly take in the fact his lemon cake had won
Grand Champion! His family was close by, cheering on his victory,
and even though he was a little shy during the interview, I did
manage to find out that he is five years old, his mom helped him
with the cake directions, and that he ran the mixer himself. It
was obvious he also did an outstanding job frosting his two layer
masterpiece. When I asked him why he thought his cake won the big
prize, he seemed stumped until his dad lifted him up to look at
the top of the cake and then Ben smiled big time and said, “Oh
yeah! SPRINKLES!” I’m sure the judges agreed, Ben, because the top
of your cake was paved liberally with multi colored happiness –
way to go!
1 package lemon cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 and spray two round 9 inch cake pans with
cooking spray. Blend all ingredients at low speed for 30 seconds,
then at medium speed for two minutes. Pour batter into pans and
bake for 28 to 31 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out
clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from pans. When cooled, frost
with 1 container of lemon frosting. (Add LOTS of sprinkles for
that winning touch!)
Anne Hunt’s Spinach Cheese Squares
Anne is 9 years old and swept the Youth division with this recipe.
Anne says she has liked cooking “all her life”. She shyly told me
that her Grandma Beatrice and her mom have been helping her learn
to cook “since she was a baby”. She’s made these squares many
times and choose them because she likes to eat them – can’t argue
with that! Anne was not only delighted to win her first Grand
Champion ribbon in the youth division, but stunned that her
ribbons also came with cash winnings. It was one excited young
lady who ran to find her mom in the exhibit hall to report this
news. Congratulations, Anne – what will you be making next year?
2 ounces butter, melted
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 ten ounce packages thawed frozen spinach
Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs and butter. Add flour, milk, salt,
and baking powder. Mix in grated cheese and spinach. Spread in 9 x
13 pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.
Wendy Jenning’s Chewy Surprise Cookies
Some names pop up in this column every year after the fair, and
Wendy Jennings and her daughter Elizabeth are always among them.
This year Wendy won a Grand Champion rosette for her cookies that
contain two of my favorite things in the world – peanut butter and
Milk Duds. Wendy is always generous in her praise of all the other
entries at the Fair and I know they both work hard to make their
entries in the food division beautiful, interesting and delicious
for the tasting judges. This recipe makes 8 dozen – a good thing
since I’m sure they’ll disappear quickly into lunch boxes or from
your cookie jar for after school treats.
1 ½ cups butter-flavored shortening
1 ½ cups peanut butter
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
4 eggs
3 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ten ounce package Milk Duds
Another ½ cup sugar for rolling
Preheat oven to 350. Cream the shortening, peanut butter and
sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine dry ingredients, gradually add to creamed mixture. Chill
at least 1 hour. Shape 4 teaspoons of dough around each Milk Dud
so it is completely covered. Roll cookies in remaining sugar.
Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 10 – 12 minutes until
set. Cool 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.
Elizabeth Jenning’s Rhubarb in Syrup
Miss Elizabeth has been entering delicious things in the Fair ever
since she was a tot and I’ve written about her many times in the
past. I’m so impressed that she has taken on canning, and even
more impressed at what Mom Wendy told me about this rhubarb. The
rhubarb Elizabeth canned was from some that she picked at the
legendary patch at the Holbrook’s. The great thing is that the
rhubarb was entered in the produce division, and won grand
champion there, as well. This recipe is an overnight one, so plan
accordingly. And then plan to have this on top of ice cream for a
special home grown treat.
Wash rhubarb, drain well and cut unpeeled stalks into one inch
pieces. For every 4 cups of rhubarb placed in a large bowl,
sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar. Stir well, and let sit overnight,
and then stir again. Have jars and lids sterilized and ready to
fill. Heat the entire mixture in a stainless steel kettle until
boiling. Ladle into quart or pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.
Remove as many air bubbles as possible. Wash the rim, adjust two
piece caps. Process pints and quarts for 15 minutes in boiling
water canner, or for 5 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.
Daniel Holbrook’s Banana Blueberry Muffins
Speaking of the Holbrook clan, meet one of the youngest cooks in
this talented family. Daniel has been entering the Fair as long as
I can remember, and he always wins ribbons, especially Grand
Champions. I didn’t get a chance to interview him before press
time, but one look at these muffins in the display case was enough
to convince me the judges knew what “delicious” meant when they
tasted them! Daniel always adds a little excitement to his
recipes, and here it is exactly how he submitted it to the Fair.
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Combine:
1 ¾ cup flour
1/3 cup fructose
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Make a well in the middle.
3. Mix together:
¾ cup mashed ripe, banana
1 beaten egg
½ cup milk
¼ cup cooking oil
Stir into #2 (above)
4. Fold in ¾ cup blueberries
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full Bake for 20 minutes
6. Cool for 5 minutes and remove. Then EAT!!!!!!!!
Rachel Holbrook’s Granola
I didn’t get a chance to catch Rachel at the Fair, either, but it
was no surprise to me that she won for this terrific granola. As I
said, it seems like the entire Holbrook family has incredible
talents in the kitchen, and I am so glad they get rewarded for
their efforts each year. A couple years ago Rachel gave me a bit
of this lovely granola to taste, and it was a hundred times better
than anything you get from a box. It’s delicious, deeply toasted
flavor comes from the long, slow roasting in the oven and the
glaze that binds it together has just the right amount of
sweetness and doesn’t overpower the oats and nuts. Here’s her
winning recipe as she submitted it, but you can tailor it to meet
your specific tastes by adding different nuts or dried fruits.
I’ll probably try dried cranberries instead of raisins when I make
it, and I’m thinking a scoop or two added to some cookie dough
would make a mighty fine treat, too. I’ll let you know how it
turns out and way to go, Rachel!
Preheat oven to 300.
In a large roasting pan, combine:
12 cups oats
1/2 cup flour
2 cups coconut
1 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup cashew halves
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup golden flax seeds
In a large pot, bring to a boil:
2 cups honey
2 cups fruit juice concentrate
2 cups canola oil
Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and quickly stir in 1
teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Pour evenly over
dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Bake for 1 hour at 300,
stirring every 15 minutes. After cooling add 2 cups raisins.
Cheryl Cooper’s Sourdough Raspberry Twists
I’ve known Cheryl since 1976 when we met at college (Go WWU!) and
I’ve know her sourdough starter almost as long. Affectionately
named “Herman”, he lurks in the back of her refrigerator in his
cozy Tupperware pitcher home, quietly waiting for his next baking
assignment. Cheryl says she got the starter from Mary Corcoran at
least 23 years ago, and Mary shared this bit of culinary history.
It seems that some gold miners in California started eating at a
place Herman’s, famous for all things sourdough. The miners took
to calling the starter responsible for all the good eats “Herman”
and the name stuck. Cheryl relies on a beloved cookbook she bought
at the old Baker and Baker Booksellers in Fairbanks called
“Sourdough Cookery” by Rita Davenport. She reports the cover is
torn, the pages falling out and it’s held together with a rubber
band, but the recipes never fail and she can’t bear to part with
it. Here’s to Herman’s power to keep rising to the occasion!
1 cup sourdough starter
½ cup lukewarm milk
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 – 4 cups flour
Filling
1 8 ounce package softened cream cheese
¾ - 1 cup raspberry jam (or any flavor)
1 cup shredded coconut
Mix sourdough, milk, sugar, oil and vanilla together. Add dry
ingredients. Mix to form stiff dough. Turn out onto floured
surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Roll out on floured
surface to form a rectangle that is 8” x 15”. Spread dough with
cream cheese and jam, and then sprinkle with coconut. From long
side of rectangle, fold over twice by thirds. Using a knife or
string, cut into 1 inch strips. Lift up and twist each strip and
place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 – 25 minutes.
Brush with warmed jam while still warm.
Congratulations again to all the winners, indeed to everyone
participated and especially volunteered at the Deltana Fair. Watch
for more winners in the next issue, including an interview with
the brand new Alaska State Blueberry Pie Champion, Ms. Janet
Boyer.
